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Russia’s interference in western democratic elections has dominated headlines since the 2016 elections. What’s the motive? What values are at play in this interference? In this episode, we lay out the chronology that details these values and the philosophical underpinnings of this ongoing news story. Later on in the program, I speak with Glenn Kranking (beginning at 21:45), an expert on Russian history and propaganda, amongst other topics. Links: Glenn Kranking: Glenn Kranking Twitter (https://twitter.com/GustieGlenn?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) We Want You!: Propaganda and Persuasion in the Modern World (class/student project directed by Glenn)(http://wewantyou.us/) Monologue sources: How Putin Distorts Russia’s Soviet Past- Foreign Affairs (https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/russian-federation/2017-12-12/dont-speak-memory) What Putin Really Wants- The Atlantic (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/01/putins-game/546548/) Putin’s Revenge (part 1)- Frontline- PBS (https://www.pbs.org/video/putins-revenge-mzz1lp/) Putin’s Revenge (part 2)- Frontline- PBS (https://www.pbs.org/video/putins-revenge-part-two-wpsiq2/) Putin- What’s the difference between Cromwell and Stalin? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW9uta00EHs) Gorbachev speech- 2 November, 1987 (https://www2.stetson.edu/~psteeves/classes/gorbachevstalinism.html) Hillary Clinton on Gaddafi: “We came, we saw, he died” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgcd1ghag5Y)

In our quest to understand the world and our place in it, we seem to make the assumption that if we all had uninhibited access to the unadulterated facts, our problems would disappear. But it shouldn't be surprising that even two individuals encountering the same facts might arrive at starkly different conclusions. So perhaps there's a way to understand what's happening around us without relying so firmly on facts, and facts alone. Welcome to Around the Corner.