I was back on the Blog Talk Radio show Midrats this week, talking about Russian foreign policy, the military, its relations with the United States and China, and the like. The recording is now available on the show’s website. The show description is as follows:
Episode 457:Russia’s Red Banner Year
From its largest exercise since the end of the Cold War, to Syria, to a revival of covert direct action and intermediate nuclear weapons as an issue – Russia continues to claw back her place on the international stage.
As we approach the last quarter of the 2018 calendar year, what message is Russia trying to give the rest of the world and what should we expect through the end of the decade?
Russian Military Reform 
I appreciated your discussion of how things look from the Russian side: the craving for respect, the view that actions in Ukraine and Crimea are defensive from their standpoint. This perspective is so sadly lacking from the West, although it seems obvious to anyone who has studied Russia.