Originally published on November 22, 2024 (Episode 384)
Introduction
For over two centuries, Russia has used executions, deportations, famine, and cultural erasure to dominate Ukraine. In his new book, Eugene Finkel argues that the war Vladimir Putin has been conducting since 2014 is just the latest chapter in this long history—but with one crucial difference: Ukraine is now more united than ever in its determination to remain independent.
About the Guest
Eugene Finkel is Kenneth H. Keller Professor of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University SAIS. He is the author of Ordinary Jews: Choice and Survival during the Holocaust and coauthor of several other works. Born in Lviv, Ukraine, he now lives in Bologna, Italy.
For Further Investigation
Eugene Finkel, Intent to Destroy: Russia’s Two-Hundred-Year Quest to Dominate Ukraine (Basic Books, 2024)
—, Ordinary Jews: Choice and Survival during the Holocaust (Princeton, 2017)
Related Episodes
“A Nasty Little War”: Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War
“Collisions”: Michael Kimmage on the Origins of the War in Ukraine
Listen & Discuss
What’s the value of putting today’s war in a two-hundred-year perspective? Share this episode with anyone wrestling with the long shadow of Russian imperialism, or enthusiastic for Ukrainian independence.
