On this unique episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, I speak with LK, a Hong Kong artist, puppeteer, playwright, and dissident now living in exile in France. LK’s story is one of resilience, creativity, and defiance. We discuss how art can resist silence, the dangers and power of puppetry and object theatre, and the struggle to create freely under censorship. LK opens up about leaving Hong Kong in 2019, the wave of repression that followed the National Security Law, and the transnat...
Sep 18, 2025
1 hr 12 min
In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, I speak with Dr Mark Clifford President of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, journalist, academic, and author of The Troublemaker, a biography of Jimmy Lai. Mark spent nearly three decades in Hong Kong, working as editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post and The Standard, and serving on the board of Apple Daily. He witnessed the city’s democratic flowering under Governor Chris Patten, its crushing under Beijing’s ...
Sep 11, 2025
57 min
In this very special episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, we are honoured to speak with General David H. Petraeus: former CIA Director, Commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and one of America’s most respected military leaders. Across a remarkable career at the highest levels of military and intelligence service, Petraeus has had a front-row seat to the great struggles between democracy and dictatorship; from the Cold War to counterinsurgencies in the Middl...
Sep 4, 2025
52 min
“If you fire, fire at me.” During Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution in 2014, Ray Wong saw an older man stand in front of armed police and offer his life to protect the crowd. That moment changed Wong forever, and set him on a path from student protester to activist leader, and finally into exile. In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, Ray — now policy and strategy advisor at Hong Kong Watch — tells his story: how the Umbrella Revolution brought together a generation, why “Liber...
Aug 28, 2025
1 hr
In this compelling episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, we sit down with Professor Tim Wilson - academic, filmmaker, YouTuber, and former politician - in London to explore the crisis facing modern democracy and what we can do about it. Professor Wilson brings a unique perspective, having taught in authoritarian countries including Russia, where he met Vladimir Putin in 2016 ("he emanates evil"), and having infiltrated UKIP from within before resigning over racism. Now through his d...
Aug 21, 2025
1 hr 22 min
In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, we’re joined by Professor Mark Galeotti, one of the world’s leading experts on modern Russia, for a sweeping conversation on authoritarianism, democracy, and the future of Putin’s regime. We explore: Why democracy failed in post-Soviet RussiaThe real legacy of Boris Yeltsin and the 1990sHow Putin rebuilt an authoritarian state with elite loyalty and public apathyRussia’s strategic culture and the "first punch" doctrineWhat comes after Pu...
Aug 14, 2025
1 hr 13 min
In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight we’re speaking with Jonathan Fink. He was a digital marketing strategist, then Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine changed everything. Now, he’s the creator of Silicon Curtain, a YouTube channel and podcast that battles Russian disinformation with facts, context, and strategic narrative warfare. Be sure to check out his work through the link above! In this episode, we dive deep into: The mechanics of modern propaganda and why fa...
Aug 7, 2025
1 hr 27 min
In this gripping episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight we sit down with award-winning journalist and war correspondent John Sweeney. With four decades on the frontlines from Grozny to Kyiv, Sweeney unpacks what he's learned about authoritarian power, the role of propaganda, and why telling the truth still matters. From Chechnya to Ukraine, from the Taliban to Tommy Robinson, Sweeney reflects on how democracies are under siege from bombs and bullets, lies, nostalgia, and digital...
Aug 1, 2025
1 hr 6 min
In this powerful episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, We speak with Estonian MP and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson for an unflinching conversation about Russia’s imperial legacy, the modern authoritarian playbook, and what it takes to defend democracy today. Drawing on decades of experience as a journalist and politician, Mihkelson shares eyewitness insights from the First Chechen War, the Kremlin’s early efforts to dismantle democracy, and how the West has ...
Jul 25, 2025
1 hr 13 min
In this episode of Why We Fight, I speak with Adil Raja, a former major in the Pakistani military who became one of its fiercest critics. Now living in exile in the UK, Raja pulls back the curtain on how Pakistan’s military has dominated the country’s politics, enabled extremism, and violently suppressed dissent both at home and abroad. We explore: · His transformation from decorated officer to dissident journalist · His firsthand account of how the military manipulates elections, courts, and...
Jul 17, 2025
1 hr 29 min
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