In this week’s Deep Dive episode, host Chris Wright joins Bill Roedy, former chairman and chief executive of MTV Networks International. Bill and his team built a global operation comprising 200 channels and 20 brands in 200 countries.

Before joining MTV, he spent ten years at HBO as their vice president and was part of the United States Army, a veteran of the Vietnam war, and commander of three Nuclear Missile bases as part of NATO during the Cold War. Bill was awarded the Bronze Star, Air Medal, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry (with Silver Star), and Meritorious Service Medal for his distinguished military service. Bill is also a former senior adviser to the U.S State Department.

In this episode, Bill and Chris discuss Russia’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine and their struggle to take territory in the Donbas region amid fierce resistance. They delve into why Russia has reduced its efforts on Eastern and Southern Ukraine after failing to take the capital and whether Putin is preparing for a prolonged conflict. Are his threats of nuclear action evidence that he’s lost touch with reality?

Together, Bill and Chris chew over Russia’s propaganda machine to consider whether the messaging is so powerful that citizens may not realise they’re in a disinformation bubble. They highlight the impact of Putin’s actions on Europe, the West, and a global scale, from fuelling inflation to a provoking a hunger crisis after blockading Black Sea ports. Bill describes the impact of Finland and Sweden moving closer to Nato membership and shares how this conflict is ‘unsustainable’ from a military viewpoint.

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This podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com