Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks from Kyiv hours after the Russian invasion, February 25, 2023: “We are all here defending our independence, our state”

In a 55-minute discussion, I chat with The Silicon Curtain’s Jonathan Fink about the significance of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “hinge moment” for the 21st-century world.

I set out the background of other “hinge moments” such as the 9-11 attacks; the disastrous US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and its aftermath; and the failure to support civilians seeking rights and reforms in Iran, the Middle East, and North Africa.

(With hindsight, I should have also cited the Great Recession of 2008-2009 so that will have to be in a future discussion.)

Then I dig into the importance of Vladimir Putin’s shift in 2014 for a global “hybrid war”, beginning with the occupation of part of Ukraine and extending to propaganda, disinformation, and interference in other countries’ elections and political processes.

I conclude with a look at where the invasion of Ukraine — and thus the world — could head in 2023.