Future Discontinuous

Few historians illuminate the inner workings of Soviet and Russian foreign policy with the clarity and archival depth of Sergey Radchenko. Drawing on unprecedented access to Communist Party documents, Radchenko has rewritten key chapters of the Cold War, tracing the ambitions, insecurities, and delusions that drove leaders from Stalin to Gorbachev, which still echo in Vladimir Putin’s Russia today. In this episode of Future Discontinuous, hosts Misha Glenny and Eva Konzett explore Stalin’s competing quests for security, resources, and legitimacy, Khrushchev’s nuclear brinkmanship from Berlin to Cuba, and the unraveling of Soviet power in Eastern Europe. Together with their guest, they examine how China emerged as Moscow’s greatest geopolitical nightmare, how misunderstandings shaped the end of the Cold War, and why Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has become a catastrophic gamble for all involved. They also unpack early, little-known peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow—and what recent diplomatic maneuvers reveal about the shifting global balance of power. Sergey Radchenko is a Russian-British historian who currently teaches at the Henry Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins University. Radchenko grew up on Sakhalin Island in Russia’s Far East before studying in the United States and the United Kingdom. He is the author of several books about the Cold War and has published extensively on nuclear history and Russian and Chinese foreign and security policies. His latest book, To Run the World (Cambridge University Press, 2024), won the prestigious Lionel Gelber Prize in Canada this year. He regularly writes for publications such as The Guardian.

There is no shortage of critical commentary on the dizzying pace of developments in artificial intelligence. Yet, few do it as astutely as Karen Hao, whose award-winning book, Empire of AI, unveils the inner workings of OpenAI and the tech sector more broadly, shining a light on an industry marked by both grandiose proclamations and notorious secrecy. In this episode of Future Discontinuous, hosts Misha Glenny and Eva Konzett revisit some of Silicon Valley‘s foundational myths and trace the ever-increasing impact of AI on our lives. Together with their guest, they examine how OpenAI has become the multi-billion-dollar empire it is today, discuss the differences between AI doomers and AI boomers, and take stock of the environmental costs of the data centers mushrooming around the globe. Karen Hao is an award-winning journalist and author covering artificial intelligence. Having previously worked as an application engineer for a digital startup, a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal covering American and Chinese tech companies, and a senior AI editor at MIT Technology Review, Hao regularly writes about tech and AI for high-profile publications like The Atlantic. She also leads the AI Spotlight Series, a program that trains journalists to cover AI. Her 2025 book, Empire of AI, was an instant New York Times bestseller.

Often considered ‘the value of values,’ freedom is increasingly interpreted in negative terms as the absence of interference, especially by prominent figures on the right. Historian and author Timothy Snyder argues that in order to achieve true freedom, we must ask about the moral and political structures required for human societies to flourish. In this wide-ranging conversation with Snyder, hosts Misha Glenny and Eva Konzett explore topics such as the collapse of the Soviet Union, the many shades of freedom, and the importance of the humanities in helping us navigate the present. Timothy Snyder holds the Chair in Modern European History at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto. Since 2008, he has been a permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, where he leads the Institute's Ukraine programs. Snyder is the author of numerous critically acclaimed books, including Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin (2010), On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century (2017), and, most recently, On Freedom (2024).

We are witnessing changes in the world order which many thought we would never live to see. The US, long a bedrock of democracy, appears to go heading down an anti-democratic path. Traditional alliances are falling apart, while longtime enemies are drawing closer together. Meanwhile Europe, long a central player in geopolitics, seems increasingly sidelined in international negotiations.To make sense of this unfolding new world order, Misha Glenny and Eva Konzett are joined by renowned Canadian historian Margaret MacMillan who has studied great power conflicts, war, and the international order for decades. In this episode, she draws parallels between past and present conflicts and unpacks the historical context and potential consequences of this global power reshuffle. Margaret MacMillan is emeritus Professor of History at the University of Toronto and Professor of International History and the former Warden of St. Antony's College at the University of Oxford. Her books include Women of the Raj (1988, 2007); Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World (2001) for which she was the first woman to win the Samuel Johnson Prize and Nixon in China: Six Days that Changed the World (2007). Her most recent book is War: How Conflict Shaped Us (2020) which was in The New York Times’ Ten Best Books of the Year. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the Royal Society of Canada, the Royal Geographical Society of Canada, and Honorary Fellow of the British Academy. MacMillan is also a Trustee of the Imperial War Museum and a Board Member of the IWM.

We are living through a time of immense upheaval, with geopolitical, social, and economic shifts reshaping our world every day. However, this is not the first time humanity has faced such dramatic changes. In this episode, Misha Glenny and Eva Konzett are joined by historian Lyndal Roper to take us back 500 years to the Peasants' War of 1524–25 – the largest armed rebellion in Europe before the French Revolution.Inspired by Martin Luther and the Reformation, peasants across the German-speaking world fought for a radical new vision of freedom. Roper brings to life the peasants' fears, joys, and struggles while exploring how they rose up against their lords, what ideals fuelled their rebellion, and, crucially, what their fight can teach us for today's crises. Lyndal Roper is Regius Professor of History at the University of Oxford, specializing in the history of the Reformation and the early modern period in Germany. She is the author of a widely acclaimed biography of Martin Luther. Her new book Summer of Fire and Blood (German title: Für die Freiheit) explores the Peasants' War of 1525. 

In this episode of Future Discontinuous, we dive deep into the political turmoil following Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 46th President of the United States. From overhauls in US domestic policy to disruptions in global diplomacy, this episode breaks down Trump‘s dramatic reshaping of the world order. Together with Mark Medish, policy consultant and former White House official, hosts Misha Glenny and Eva Konzett examine whether the Trump administration’s actions amount to a constitutional coup, assess the resilience of America’s checks and balances, and discuss the chainsaw Elon Musk is taking to the American state.Mark Medish is an American lawyer and policy consultant with extensive experience in government and international affairs. During the Clinton Administration, he served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director on the National Security Council , as well as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Treasury. He has also held senior roles at USAID and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Medish is Director and Vice Chair of Panterra, a strategic consultancy, and founder of Keep Our Republic, a nonprofit organization dedicated to civic education and democratic governance. Medish is also member of IWM’s Board of Trustees.

Ultra-Processed Foods lie at the heart of a global increase in a variety of chronic and fatal diseases from cancer to Type 2 Diabetes. The food industry has been pouring billions into convincing governments not to regulate these additives which make everything from baby food to burgers addictive, persuading customers to return for more. Rosie Boycott, a highly respected British publisher and journalist, has been studying the politics and science of food since she started farming two decades ago. In a revealing conversation with Eva Konzett and Misha Glenny, Boycott explains why Ultra Processed Foods are so catastrophic for health and environment, about how the food industry borrowed its lobbying strategy from tobacco, and how we can change our eating habits for the planet is to survive. Rosie Boycott is a member of the House of Lords and has a distinguished career as a journalist, publisher, and author. She served as the editor-in-chief of several British newspapers and co-founded the feminist magazine Spare Rib. Beyond her media career, Boycott is a well-known food activist, specialising in food and environmental politics and legislation. She was also chair of the London Food Board and advised the city's government on sustainable food policy.

The flood of headlines about the war in Israel and Gaza can feel overwhelming. Season two of Future Discontinuous kicks off with an episode examining the current state of the conflict, highlighting geopolitical dynamics and influential players. In conversation with Dahlia Scheindlin, hosts Eva Konzett and Misha Glenny explore Israeli public opinion, Netanyahu’s grip on power, Trump’s agenda for the region, and perspectives of the neighboring countries in the Middle East. Dahlia Scheindlin is a political and strategic consultant, and policy analyst at Century International. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, and other publications. Scheindlin is also the author of The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel: Promise Unfulfilled (2023).