The John Batchelor Show
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
S8 Ep1279: Michael McFaul — Multi-Part, Part One: Michael McFaul, a Stanford professor and former US Ambassador to Russia, details his book Autocrats Versus Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder. In Part One, McFaul examines historical turni
37 minutes Posted Aug 16, 2026 at 1:45 am.
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Michael McFaul — Multi-Part, Part One: Michael McFaul, a Stanford professor and former US Ambassador to Russia, details his book Autocrats Versus Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder. In Part One, McFaul examines historical turning points, beginning with the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and the 1991 Soviet collapse. He argues that the West was too complacent following the Cold War, missing critical opportunities to consolidate democratic institutions in Russia and China. He also explains how China's century of humiliation informs Xi Jinping's current desire for strength. (1)