Sarah Paine analyzes the relationship between Russia, China, the United States, and Europe through the lens of empire, war, nationalism, and strategic miscalculation. She explains why Russia and China are not natural allies, how their imperial models differ, and why a potential collapse of China could lead not to democracy, but to years of instability and chaos.

The conversation also covers Taiwan, Vladivostok, Siberia, America’s shifting role in the world, information warfare, the crisis of truth in politics, and whether Europe can still rely on the United States. This is a conversation about a world in which history has not ended — and may be accelerating again.