Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight
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Democracy is at war. We can see the forces rallied against it: autocratic states like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, techno-aristocrats, religious fundamentalists and populist demagogues.
From the trenches of Ukraine to the halls of power in the US, democratic, free values are under determined assault.
But, there are those who resist.
In 'Why We Fight' we talk to those who claim to be defending democracy; that's everyone from soldiers, protestors, activists, religious leaders, industrialists and politicians.
We find out who they are, what drove them to take up the struggle, what their work is and why their idea of democracy is worth fighting for.
Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight
The British Historian: Prof. Mark Galeotti
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 Russia
- The real legacy of Boris Yeltsin and the 1990s
- How Putin rebuilt an authoritarian state with elite loyalty and public apathy
- Russia’s strategic culture and the "first punch" doctrine
- What comes after Putin—and how the war in Ukraine might end
- Grey zone warfare, gangsters as proxies, and Russia’s criminal statecraft
- How democracies can resist authoritarian influence without sacrificing their values
- Why Russian disinformation works—and why fact-checking alone won’t stop it
Key Takeaways:
- “You can have rule of law without democracy, but not democracy without rule of law.”
- Putin's Russia is a hybrid of medieval court politics and 21st-century bureaucracy.
- The West enabled Russian authoritarianism by endorsing rigged elections and prioritising short-term stability over long-term democratic development.
- Today’s global struggle isn’t just military—it’s narrative, emotional, and psychological.
- Disinformation thrives where trust in institutions has already collapsed.
- Fixing democracy’s reputation means fixing democratic systems themselves.
- Russia’s alliances with Iran, China, and others are transactional—not ideological.
- “Democracy is a frustrating, unstable beast—but it can do amazing things if we fight for it.”
Mark Galeotti’s Latest Book:
Homo Criminalis — out now in the UK and Netherlands. U.S. release coming soon.
Listen to Mark’s podcast: In Moscow’s Shadows
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