Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight
A 'Dictators v Democrats' program https://tamullis.substack.com/
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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.
Episodes
54 episodes
Undercover in Britain’s Far Right | Harry Shukman
Harry Shukman spent more than a year undercover inside Britain’s far right. We discuss Year of the Rat, Reform UK, online radicalisation, Elon Musk, extremism and what the rise of the radical right means for British democracy.&nb...
Oz Katerji: War Journalism, Ukraine and the Fight for Liberal Democracy
British-Lebanese journalist and filmmaker Oz Katerji joins Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight to discuss the reality of modern war reporting, the collapse of the traditional journalism model, and the difference between journalism and ...
Money, Lies and God: Katherine Stewart on Christian Nationalism and the Assault on American Democracy
Is American democracy facing its greatest test in generations?In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, investigative journalist and bestselling author Katherine Stewart joins us to discuss her latest book, Mon...
The Art of Diplomacy in an Age of Dictators: Ambassador Paul Johnston
In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, I speak to Paul Johnston, one of Britain's most experienced diplomats, whose 35-year career placed him at the center of some of the defining security crises of the mo...
Russia's Neo-Imperialism in Africa | Philip Obaji Jr. | Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight
Russia's war against democracy does not end in Ukraine.Award-winning Nigerian investigative journalist Philip Obaji Jr. joins Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight to expose how Russia's Wagner Group, now operating as Africa Corps...
China, Democracy and Africa's Information Battlefield | Emeka Umejei
How is China shaping Africa's media landscape? Are Western democracies making strategic mistakes across the continent? And what happens if Africa becomes the next major battleground in the global struggle between democratic and authoritarian mo...
Bellingcat Founder Eliot Higgins on Truth, Disinformation & Democracy
From identifying the suspects behind the Salisbury poisonings to exposing Russian involvement in MH17, Eliot Higgins helped pioneer a new era of open-source investigation. But in a world of algorithms, conspiracy theories, AI-generated content ...
Europe Must Prepare for War | General Dominique Trinquand | Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight
This week on Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, We sit down with former French General Dominique Trinquand — one of Europe’s leading military voices on NATO, Russia, Ukraine and the future of European defence. Drawi...
The Power of Nonviolent Resistance | Why We Fight | Amber French-Griette
Amber French-Griette — co-founder and Executive Director of the Organization for Nonviolent Movements — joins Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight to explain why nonviolent resistance remains one of the most powerful weapons against author...
Steven Moore on Faith, Freedom & Ukraine | Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight
Steven Moore, founder of the Ukraine Freedom Project, joins Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight to discuss the war in Ukraine, Russian propaganda, faith under occupation, and why freedom remains worth fighting for.A former Republican con...
Roger McNair - Project Jinn and Reforming Democracy in the UK
We are joined by Roger McNair, founder of Project Jinn, to examine the growing crisis of confidence in British democracy and the case for reform.McNair argues that the current system—built around elections every five years—is no longer s...
Jason Pack on Disorder, Institutional Failure and Why Democracy is Still Worth Fighting For
Jason Pack, host of the Disorder podcast, joins Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight to discuss his idea of “enduring disorder” — a world where democracies struggle to coordinate, institutions fail to deliver, and power is incr...
Chechen Prime Minister in Exile Akhmed Zakayev on War, Resistance, and Russia
In this episode of Why We Fight, I speak with Akhmed Zakayev, the exiled Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.Zakayev lays out his case that Chechnya remains under Russian occupation, describing life inside the rep...
No War, No Appeasement: Zolal Habibi on Iran’s Fight for Freedom
In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, We speak with Iranian human rights activist Zolal Habibi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.Born into a family shaped by repression Habibi has spent her l...
Jaden Braves on Gen Z, Power, and the Future of Democracy
In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, We sit down with Jaden Braves a young Canadian political organiser and director at the Sephira Institute.They explore how a new generation is engaging with democracy—and wh...
Is Democracy Broken? Metin Peckin’s Radical Case Against Political Parties
Are political parties actually undermining democracy?In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, We sit down with businessman-turned-author Metin Peckin, whose new book Breaking Democracy’s Chains arg...
Dr. Roberto Foa: Why Faith in Democracy Is Eroding — and How It Can Be Saved
In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, We speak with Dr. Roberto Foa, one of the world’s leading political scientists studying democratic legitimacy and populism. Drawing on decades of research into public attitu...
Dmytro Koziatynskyi: Fighting Corruption While Fighting a War
*Note from the host - I apologize for the missed weeks, a combination of holiday and family concerns. Also, my audio in this one is a little poor, unfortunately my good mic has developed an issue.*In this episode, we speak with Ukrainian...
The Uyghur Journalist: Mamatjan Juma
In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, we speak with Mamatjan Juma, a veteran Uyghur journalist and one of the most important voices documenting China’s repression in Xinjiang.For nearly two decades, Juma...
The Anonymous Donor to Ukraine
In this special and unusually candid episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, we speak to an anonymous American investor who has privately channelled close to half a million dollars into Ukrainian frontline units fighting Russia’s invasi...
Jakub Kalensky: Building Europe's Information Fortress
In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, we speak with Jakub Kalenský, one of Europe’s leading experts on disinformation, hybrid threats, and information warfare.Jakub is Deputy Director at the European Centre of ...
Cdr Lance McMillan - The Navy and the News
In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, We are joined by Commander (Ret.) Lance McMillan, a former US Navy officer with more than 25 years of service and a regular contributor to independent US media on defence, securit...
The Chemical Warrior: Hamish de Bretton-Gordon
In this episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight, Theo Allthorpe-Mullis is joined by Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon OBE, one of the UK’s leading authorities on chemical weapons and modern deterrence.Drawing on more than ...