<![CDATA[The Hundred: Interviews]]>

<![CDATA[The Hundred: Interviews]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/s/interviewshttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IfKq!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba398ba0-b789-4bec-be2b-12d631f26858_1080x1080.pngThe Hundred: Interviewshttps://thehundred.substack.com/s/interviewsSubstackMon, 20 Apr 2026 21:39:55 GMT<![CDATA[Making Sense of Turkish Foreign Policy]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/making-sense-of-turkish-foreign-policyhttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/making-sense-of-turkish-foreign-policyWed, 12 Nov 2025 14:31:33 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred. Before we get started, a recommendation: Our friends at Semafor have a daily global news briefing that deals with the world’s biggest stories in 100 words or less. It’s called Semafor Flagship and it’s free. You can subscribe here.

]]><![CDATA[Putin will die. What's next?]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/putin-will-die-whats-nexthttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/putin-will-die-whats-nextThu, 23 Oct 2025 12:45:20 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred. Vladimir Putin is old, probably not as healthy as he likes to project, and (sooner or later) will die. But what happens when he does? We speak to John Kennedy to find out.

]]><![CDATA[Rare Earths]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/rare-earthshttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/rare-earthsFri, 17 Oct 2025 13:00:07 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred. This week, I (David) am answering Marcel’s questions about rare earths (an issue I’ve been working on for the better part of a decade and will touch on in my forthcoming book).

Thanks for reading, sharing and subscribing!

Subscribe now

]]><![CDATA[The Return of ISIS]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/the-return-of-isishttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/the-return-of-isisThu, 09 Oct 2025 13:01:50 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred. This week, we’re talking to Colin P. Clarke from the Soufan Center about the return of ISIS.

Thanks for reading, sharing and subscribing!

]]><![CDATA[The Hundred 2025 Winter Reading List]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/the-hundred-2025-winter-reading-listhttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/the-hundred-2025-winter-reading-listThu, 02 Oct 2025 12:52:43 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred! We normally ask contributors difficult questions about their area of expertise. This week, we asked friends of the newsletter to recommend books. There were no restrictions, so these books are old and new, fiction and non-fiction. Perhaps you’ll find something that interests you.

If you have recommendations yourself, please share…

]]><![CDATA[Why Everyone Wants Greenland]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/why-everyone-wants-greenlandhttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/why-everyone-wants-greenlandWed, 24 Sep 2025 13:03:31 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred. This week, we’re talking to Elizabeth Buchanan from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. She recently wrote a book about Greenland.

If you enjoy these newsletters, tell a friend to subscribe. The more subscribers we have, the easier it will be to find new contributors. Thank you!

Subscribe now

Read more

]]><![CDATA[How Dictators Hunt Enemies Abroad]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/how-dictators-hunt-enemies-abroadhttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/how-dictators-hunt-enemies-abroadMon, 15 Sep 2025 12:04:48 GMT

A big hello to all new subscribers! We’re glad you’re here. Welcome to The Hundred. This week, we’re talking to an expert about repression.

If you enjoy these newsletters, tell a friend to subscribe. The more subscribers we have, the easier it will be to find new contributors. Thank you!

]]><![CDATA[Interview: What Putin Wants]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-what-putin-wantshttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-what-putin-wantsTue, 09 Sep 2025 13:03:33 GMT

A big hello to all new subscribers! We’re glad you’re here. Welcome to The Hundred. This week, we’re talking to a Russia expert about Moscow’s foreign policy. Outside of Ukraine, what does Putin want?

If you enjoy these newsletters, tell a friend to subscribe. The more subscribers we have, the easier it will be to find new contributors. Thank you!

Hanna Notte, CNS

Dr. Hanna Notte is the director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) and a Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS). Our questions are in bold, her answers in block quotes.

Syria’s dictator was forced to flee Damascus last year. How painful was that loss for the Kremlin?

It was a loss, even though the Kremlin tried to deflect attention from it. Assad’s fall came as a result of escalating regional tensions in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks, and Russia, with its resources sunk into Ukraine, lacked the bandwidth to steer those tensions in a more favorable direction. That said, Russia pivoted quickly to establish ties with Syria’s new leaders and has thus far managed to hold on to its bases on Syria’s coast. So, we’re not talking about a total loss. But other players will be more important than Russia in shaping Syria’s future.

When Azerbaijan took control of the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023, Russian peacekeepers largely stood by. How serious is Russia’s loss of influence in the Caucasus?

Russia has certainly lost influence in the South Caucasus since invading Ukraine. Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, is emboldened. Iran and Israel, sensing a vacuum, took their proxy confrontation in the region to another level. And Russia could no longer pretend to be the region’s chief mediator, either. President Trump just hosted a summit between Armenia and Azerbaijan to great fanfare. That said, especially Armenia and Georgia—the latter ruled by the Georgian Dream party, which has tilted closer to Moscow—remain economically quite dependent on Russia. So, like in Syria, Russia’s loss of influence is not absolute.

Xi Jinping recently spoke of Russia and China as “friends of steel,” but this isn’t a relationship between equals. Is there concern in Moscow that Russia could be dominated by China?

You’d imagine that some people in Moscow are concerned. The Russian economy has grown very dependent on China. Think of Russian energy exports (oil and LNG) to China, imports of consumer and dual-use goods (like electronics and semiconductors, vital for the Russian defense industry), and Russia’s use of Chinese currency to settle trade payments, leading some to argue that Russia’s much-vaunted de-dollarization is turning into yuanization. But few dare raise concerns openly, since Russia doesn’t have a good alternative to making itself China’s junior partner in its confrontation with the West.

Thousands of North Koreans have fought for Russia against Ukraine. What does the North Korean regime get in return?

There’s quite a few ways in which Kim Jong Un benefits from his battlefield support for Russia. He’s been elevated diplomatically, just recently joining both Putin and Xi at the military parade in Beijing. Russia (and China) no longer talk about North Korea’s denuclearization, de facto recognizing it as a nuclear-armed state, which is quite a policy shift. Besides, North Korea benefits from Russian assistance to increase its own military capabilities, including in the areas of space, drone technology, AI, and air defense, among others.

What are Russia’s priorities when it comes to Iran?

Its close partnership with Iran has always given Russia leverage in the Middle East, especially with Israel and the Gulf Arab states. For that reason, it was beneficial for Moscow that Iran was strong, but not too strong—sat at the “nuclear threshold”, yet didn’t cross it. In addition, Iran provided Russia with the crucial Shahed drone technology early into the Ukraine war. Now that Iran was severely weakened in the 12-Day-War, Russia will likely offer it some assistance to reconstitute militarily, but won’t go too far—since it doesn’t have the capacity, and since it doesn’t want to unduly antagonize other regional states.

Narendra Modi’s visit to Tianjin has convinced many analysts that relations between India and China are improving. Seen from the Kremlin, would that be a good thing?

First of all, I’d caution against overexaggerating the Chinese-Indian rapprochement—the fundamental issues between the two remain unresolved and distrust is high. Now, one might argue that a reduction in tensions between them is bad for Russia because it makes Putin less relevant and reduces his leverage vis-à-vis both. But there’s another way to look at this: the reduced tensions expose the ineffectiveness, even backfiring, of US foreign policy. Plus, they make it potentially easier for countries to find common ground in BRICS—a club Russia has hyped since invading Ukraine. On balance, for Russia, the positives outweigh the negatives, I think.

How has Trump helped Putin?

Trump has been a boon to Putin in some regards. His flip-flopping on US weapons support has made it harder for Ukraine to reliably plan. Recently, he even met Putin face-to-face in Alaska—without Zelenskyy and the Europeans—a Kremlin dream come true. And zooming out from the Ukraine war, Trump has sown doubts over the US’ enduring commitment to NATO and antagonized US allies with his tariff spree. His dismantlement of USAID and of LGBTQ+ rights has also brought the US into closer alignment with Russia’s own illiberal policies. These steps were all welcomed in the Kremlin.

And yet, you’ve recently argued that Vladimir Putin should be careful what he wishes for. Can you explain?

That’s right. I argued that the world as it is being remade by Trump’s constant flip-flopping and mercurial temperament may be good for Putin in theory, but not in practice. It’s true that Trump’s approach seems to validate Putin’s long-held dream that the great powers can just carve the world into spheres of influence over the heads of smaller countries. But Trump hasn’t handed Ukraine to Russia, and is unlikely going to. The Ukraine war remains essentially unwinnable for Russia. But Putin will chase total victory as he defines it, meanwhile reducing Russian options elsewhere, like in the South Caucasus or Middle East.

What’s a question you wish you were asked and what’s your answer to it?

I wish I was asked what Africa Corps, the structure that replaced the Wagner Group, is currently up to.
It’s actually quite active in West Africa, having moved into Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Equatorial Guinea, and is now eyeing a presence in Togo and Benin. With the exception of Mali, we’re usually talking about a couple of hundred Russian instructors who offer training and security assistance, so this is not making international headlines. But I think Russia is slowly investing in an African foothold, including port access, on which it hopes to build once the Ukraine war winds down.

That’s it for this edition of The Hundred. Please share this post with friends and colleagues if you found it interesting. If you’re reading this via Substack and not email, you can also restack it. Thanks!

]]><![CDATA[Interview: Canada-United States Ties]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-canada-united-states-tieshttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-canada-united-states-tiesWed, 03 Sep 2025 09:46:15 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred! This week, we’re talking to an expert on the Canada-United States relationship about the recent tensions between the two neighbo(u)rs and what the future may hold for Ottawa and Washington.

]]><![CDATA[Interview: The Future of Europe]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-the-future-of-europehttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-the-future-of-europeThu, 28 Aug 2025 15:30:03 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred! This week, we’re talking to a journalist about the future of Europe. The newsletter is free. But if you would like to support our work, you can order my book: How Tyrants Fall.

]]><![CDATA[Interview: Why Ukraine is Struggling]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-why-ukraine-is-strugglinghttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-why-ukraine-is-strugglingMon, 18 Aug 2025 13:03:16 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred! This week, we’re talking to a military analyst about the situation on the ground in Ukraine. The newsletter is free. But if you would like to support our work, you can order my book: How Tyrants Fall.

]]><![CDATA[Interview: Chip War]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-chip-warhttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-chip-warMon, 11 Aug 2025 11:44:52 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred! If you would like to support our work, you can order my book, How Tyrants Fall: And How Nations Survive.

]]><![CDATA[Interview: German Election]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-german-electionhttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-german-electionTue, 25 Feb 2025 15:17:18 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred! Germany just held elections. Since we have our own Germany expert on the team, I decided to ask Marcel a few questions about the vote. If you would like to support our work, you can subscribe for free.

]]><![CDATA[Interview: Civil War in Myanmar]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-civil-war-in-myanmarhttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-civil-war-in-myanmarTue, 18 Feb 2025 16:14:52 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred! If you would like to support our work, you can order my new book, How Tyrants Fall: And How Nations Survive. Given current developments, it seems…especially relevant.

Our interview is a bit longer than usual this week, but the situation in Myanmar is extraordinarily complicated so we wanted to allow our guest more space to provide…

]]><![CDATA[Interview: The End of Assad]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-the-end-of-assadhttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-the-end-of-assadWed, 18 Dec 2024 14:18:12 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred! If you would like to support our work, you can order my new book, How Tyrants Fall: And How Nations Survive. I’m delighted to say that The Economist recommends it as one of the best books of the year. Given the fall of Assad, it feels especially relevant these days.

]]><![CDATA[Interview: Ethiopia and Abiy Ahmed]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-ethiopia-and-abiy-ahmedhttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-ethiopia-and-abiy-ahmedTue, 03 Dec 2024 15:14:01 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred! If you would like to support our work, you can order my new book, How Tyrants Fall: And How Nations Survive. I’m delighted to say that The Economist recommends it as one of the best books of the year. If you’re in Europe, the book is available right now. In the US, it will be published six days before Trump’s inauguration.

]]><![CDATA[Interview: Lobbying]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-lobbyinghttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-lobbyingFri, 13 Sep 2024 08:58:32 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred! If you would like to support our work, consider reading my new book, HOW TYRANTS FALL: And How Nations Survive. The Financial Times called it “compelling” and The Economist recommends it as one of the best books of the year (so far). And, while you’re here, please subscribe.

]]><![CDATA[Interview: Russia Sanctions]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-russia-sanctionshttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-russia-sanctionsThu, 15 Aug 2024 13:28:37 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred! If you would like to support our work, tell a friend or colleague to subscribe. Alternatively, consider ordering HOW TYRANTS FALL: And How Nations Survive. Thank you!

]]><![CDATA[Interview: India's Foreign Policy Under Modi]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-indias-foreign-policy-underhttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-indias-foreign-policy-underThu, 20 Jun 2024 09:02:30 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred! If you would like to support our work, tell a friend or colleague to subscribe. The more readers we have, the easier it becomes to convince experts to contribute. Thank you for your help!

]]><![CDATA[Interview: Crisis in Haiti]]>https://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-crisis-in-haitihttps://thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-crisis-in-haitiWed, 01 May 2024 08:54:24 GMT

Welcome to The Hundred! If you would like to support our work, tell a friend or colleague to subscribe. The more readers we have, the easier it becomes to convince experts to contribute. Thank you for your help!

]]>