Opinion

“Never lose hope,” says Sara, a 28-year-old pharmacist from Hama, Syria. Years of war under Russian bombs, Syrians now watch with a unique perspective, as Ukraine battles its own existential fight.

For over a century, Russia has followed a brutal colonial script: gaslight, invade, exterminate. With 48 invasions in the last 100 years alone, Moscow has nearly succeeded in erasing its crimes from history, leaving the world blind to its bloody legacy.

Professor Francis Fukuyama is a prominent American scholar, political scientist who has written widely on development and international politics. He is probably most known for his work "The End of History and The Last Man," published in 1992. He joined our reporter, Philip Malzahn, in the studio to discuss democracy, the geopolitical landscape, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Renowned American historian Timothy Snyder shared his insights on the Ukrainian victory, the dangers of nuclear bluffing, and why Russia’s defeat is vital for the future of world security. In Kyiv, our reporter Zhenya Melnyk sat down with Professor Snyder to discuss some of the most pressing questions surrounding Ukraine today.

Many Russians, even among those who oppose Russia’s war against Ukraine, still hesitate to take responsibility, blaming the invasion on NATO provocation or conspiracy theories about US meddling and a coup. Experts say that this is because the “victim” mentality persists in Russian society today. But why is that? Our reporter Yev Kopiika interviews Dr. Botakoz Kassymbekova, an Assistant Professor in Modern History at the University of Basel.