I deeply appreciated this conversation because you both so eloquently illustrate the real cost of pursuing peace and truth in today's deeply polarized Western society. The way personal lives are destroyed and reputations tarnished simply for engaging in truth-seeking and independent thought—treated as dangerous and treacherous acts—is profoundly troubling.
Your experiences make me reflect on my own writing, where I similarly attempt to offer readers alternative perspectives on contemporary issues. Like you, I find I cannot stop writing and speaking about what I observe in the world around me, even when it costs me friendships and draws mockery from former colleagues.
I'm genuinely impressed by how you both handle these difficult situations with such grace, especially knowing how high the personal price can be. I wanted to reach out and thank you both for your courage in continuing this important work. Keep up the strength and keep believing. Your courage is inspiring.
Fascinating discussion, Glenn and Ulrike. I am heartened to know that some Europeans are fighting against the “Russophobia” and attacks on free speech being spread throughout the so -called “liberal democracies” of Europe. I am not in academia as you two are, but I have a higher degree in “Russian and East European Studies” from the University of Michigan and in the 1980’s worked for 10 years as a tour guide escorting American tourists around the former Soviet Union for a travel company based in New York City. Ulrike is so right about the importance of personal exchange among people of different nationalities and the sad fact that the West has been attempting to block or “cancel” Russian artists, scientists and students thereby creating an atmosphere of hostility toward Russia and feeding into all the pro war propaganda permeating the European continent and the USA. As an American citizen married to a Russian/Ukrainian national (now a naturalised American) for 35 years who has relatives on both sides of the battlefield, I am glad to be a paid subscriber to your Substack, Glenn, because each day your discussions and interviews give me hope and understanding in trying to make sense of the increasingly “illiberal” and “anti democratic” movements going on around me. I greatly admire your courage and persistence. Please keep up the good work and know that your voice is not falling on deaf ears.
I deeply appreciated this conversation because you both so eloquently illustrate the real cost of pursuing peace and truth in today's deeply polarized Western society. The way personal lives are destroyed and reputations tarnished simply for engaging in truth-seeking and independent thought—treated as dangerous and treacherous acts—is profoundly troubling.
Your experiences make me reflect on my own writing, where I similarly attempt to offer readers alternative perspectives on contemporary issues. Like you, I find I cannot stop writing and speaking about what I observe in the world around me, even when it costs me friendships and draws mockery from former colleagues.
I'm genuinely impressed by how you both handle these difficult situations with such grace, especially knowing how high the personal price can be. I wanted to reach out and thank you both for your courage in continuing this important work. Keep up the strength and keep believing. Your courage is inspiring.
Fascinating discussion, Glenn and Ulrike. I am heartened to know that some Europeans are fighting against the “Russophobia” and attacks on free speech being spread throughout the so -called “liberal democracies” of Europe. I am not in academia as you two are, but I have a higher degree in “Russian and East European Studies” from the University of Michigan and in the 1980’s worked for 10 years as a tour guide escorting American tourists around the former Soviet Union for a travel company based in New York City. Ulrike is so right about the importance of personal exchange among people of different nationalities and the sad fact that the West has been attempting to block or “cancel” Russian artists, scientists and students thereby creating an atmosphere of hostility toward Russia and feeding into all the pro war propaganda permeating the European continent and the USA. As an American citizen married to a Russian/Ukrainian national (now a naturalised American) for 35 years who has relatives on both sides of the battlefield, I am glad to be a paid subscriber to your Substack, Glenn, because each day your discussions and interviews give me hope and understanding in trying to make sense of the increasingly “illiberal” and “anti democratic” movements going on around me. I greatly admire your courage and persistence. Please keep up the good work and know that your voice is not falling on deaf ears.
Very, very interesting, I am impressed of bott of you!
It has dawned: Western societies are turning into fascist hellholes as we speak. The endgame of the West.