Best Andrej Matišák Podcasts (2025)

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Wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that’s ours. Is Putin preparing for forever war? 25:30

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4d ago25:30

25:30

Vladimir Putin recently announced that Russia plans to cut military spending starting next year. This statement came after the Minister of Economic Development, Maxim Reshetnikov, warned that the country’s economy is teetering on the brink of recession. Yet Putin also declared: Wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that’s ours. So, regardless of hi…

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Why is politicologist Cas Mudde optimistic about America (even though he's not really that optimistic)? 20:21

10d ago20:21

20:21

Cas Mudde is a Dutch political scientist – or, as he prefers to call himself, a politicologist – one of the foremost scholars on the far right in Western democracies and a professor at the University of Georgia. After a few phone discussions, I finally met him in person at the GLOBSEC conference in Prague. We talked about Donald Trump's America, wh…

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How should NATO deal with Trump and spend 5 percent of GDP on defense? General (Ret.) Ben Hodges explains 20:33

19d ago20:33

20:33

The NATO summit takes place on June 24-25 in The Hague. How should the North Atlantic Treaty Organization deal with American President Donald Trump? Can NATO work in a mode of pleasing and not provoking him? How should the Alliance spend 5 percent of GDP on defense? And what to do with Russia? At the GLOBSEC conference in Prague, I spoke with ⁠Ben …

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How nervous is Hungary's PM Viktor Orbán about Péter Magyar's Tisza Party? 28:03

25d ago28:03

28:03

Can Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party lose next year’s election? What might he do to prevent that? How nervous is Orbán about Péter Magyar's Tisza Party, which is currently leading in the polls? And with the potential win of Andrej Babiš in the Czech elections and with recent Karol Nawrocki's victory in Poland's presidentia…

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Can World War three start in the Indo-Pacific? 18:48

1M ago18:48

18:48

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un recently suffered a public embarrassment. He wanted to show off his new destroyer, but it was damaged. „The destroyer program of North Korea has suffered a setback. But Kim Jong-un has no intention of stopping the development of it,“ Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a Professor of International Relations at King's College Lond…

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How to resist recession of democracy in America (and globally)? My conversation with Larry Diamond 31:02

1M ago31:02

31:02

I don't think Larry Diamond needs much of an introduction – but here we go. He is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University. For decades, his research has focused on democratic trends and conditions around the w…

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How to negotiate with Putin and does he feel empowered by Trump? 23:17

1M ago23:17

23:17

How to negotiate with the Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, and does he feel empowered by his American counterpart, Donald Trump? „One very big misperception of the world and the US, especially President Trump, about the Russians is that they are very powerful. And this is very wrong,“ Leonid Litra told me. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the New Eur…

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Would Lithuanians fight if they were attacked by Russia? Ex-FM Landsbergis weighs in 22:58

2M ago22:58

22:58

Gabrielius Landsbergis served as Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from December 2020 until November 2024. Interestingly, 20 years ago, I also interviewed his grandfather, Vytautas Landsbergis. But we live in a very different world now – one in which the Baltic countries, including Lithuania, have closed their airspace to Slovak Prime Ministe…

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Is the new German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, ready to face Trump and Putin? 28:33

2M ago28:33

28:33

What should we expect from the new German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, in terms of foreign, security, and defense policy? Is he prepared to face US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin? Would Germany defend its allies in the event of a Russian attack, especially in a scenario where US support is uncertain? I discussed these quest…

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When authoritarianism rises and America and China collide, will you take part in revolution? 30:11

2M ago30:11

30:11

Is this the novel of our times? In fact, You Must Take Part in Revolution is a graphic novel, one for a new generation that likely prefers more images and fewer words, and it explores a near-future dystopia shaped by a US–China war, in which America has become a proto-fascist state. Timely, isn’t it? You Must Take Part in Revolution comes from Emmy…

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Is a drawdown of US forces from Europe all but certain and what would it mean? 27:39

2M ago27:39

27:39

John Deni is a Research Professor of Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental, and Multinational (JIIM) Security Studies at the U.S. Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute. He just wrote an article for Foreign Policy titled: A Drawdown of U.S. Forces in Europe Is All but Certain. As this is a very hot topic, I wanted to know more about it. So …

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Greenland and Ukraine: Is Denmark squeezed between Trump and Putin? 28:08

3M ago28:08

28:08

How much does Denmark feel squeezed between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, as the Russian ruler wages a war in Europe, and the US President says he wants to take over Greenland? What does this mean for Denmark's threat perceptions? These were some of the questions I asked Anders Puck Nielsen, a military analyst and researcher at the Royal Danish …

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When will it fly? Will it be better than the Chinese project?: What do we know about the F-47 program? 26:37

3M ago26:37

26:37

Aaron Mehta is the editor-in-chief of Breaking Defense, but above all, he's a dear friend. We met almost a decade ago on NATO's eastern flank, in Poland. The result? I introduced Aaron and a bunch of other colleagues to the "mad dog" drink. If you don't know what it is, google it and give it a try! But this is not just a free ad for a drink and fri…

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Can Trump's trade wars lead to real wars? 32:15

3M ago32:15

32:15

American President Donald Trump has just announced that the US is imposing tariffs on everyone, including the islands inhabited by penguins. Russia is the only major economy excluded. Why? And can trade wars escalate into real wars? I discussed these topics and more with David McCuan, a Political Science Professor at Sonoma State. Listen to our con…

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Ukraine and Canada: Do Putin and Trump see the world alike? 22:18

3M ago22:18

22:18

Seva Gunitsky is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto. Yes, I asked him how worried he is that Donald Trump's America might militarily attack Canada. According to him, it's very unlikely, but... "I teach introduction to international politics, and when I talk about countries' war plans, I used to use the Canada-A…

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Ukrainian expert: Europe will suffer if there is no long-lasting and just peace in Ukraine 25:48

4M ago25:48

25:48

Victoria Vdovychenko is the joint program leader of the Future for Ukraine Project at the Center for Geopolitics, University of Cambridge, and holds a PhD in Foreign Policy and World History. I first met her in Bratislava in 2022, just a few months after Russia's large-scale invasion, and it's great to have her on my podcast. Victoria has a stark w…

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Can Trump really make Europe great again? 32:25

4M ago32:25

32:25

How far do you think American President Donald Trump could go in his adversity toward the European Union? Let's say on a scale from zero to ten, where 10 is the worst scenario akin to the EU being at war with the US. "I think probably somewhere like 8,5," Minna Ålander said to me. She is a Non-resident Fellow with the Transatlantic Defense and Secu…

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If America had to choose, would it defend Estonia or Taiwan? 34:59

4M ago34:59

34:59

If America had to choose, would it defend Estonia or Taiwan? Can Europe still count on the US to come to its defense? If necessary, does Europe have enough troops available for long-term deployment to Ukraine? What should European Union leaders do to strengthen European security in the short term, at least? I discussed these pressing topics and mor…

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Tom Nichols: Trump betrays everyone, but Putin is one shining star in his world 31:24

4M ago31:24

31:24

The first time I interviewed Tom Nichols was in 2016 in Bratislava, just before the US presidential elections. At that time, he was still a Republican, but he had already rejected Donald Trump. Of course, he no longer identifies with the party. "I never thought I would see the party of Ronald Reagan making excuses for a dictator in the Kremlin," To…

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Zelenskyy has something Trump will never have. But Putin is probably smiling. My conversation with General (Ret.) Mick Ryan 25:36

4M ago25:36

25:36

Ukraine has faced Russian aggression since 2014, and the large-scale invasion began three years ago, on February 24th, 2022. If you listen to my podcast The Global Agora, you know that I regularly discuss the war with Mick Ryan, as we try to assess what is happening on the battlefield as well as in the political realm. He is a military strategist a…

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What is Trump's America to the EU? An ally, friend, partner, rival? An adversary, even? 18:58

5M ago18:58

18:58

I know my question may seem too apocalyptic — or even crazy — but I had to ask: Is the EU's war with the US or Russia more likely? And as strange as it may sound, Nathalie Tocci provided a very interesting answer. So, welcome to my discussion with the Director of the Italian Istituto Affari Internazionali (Institute of International Affairs). We ta…

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How does AfD fit into Trump's world? And what about Friedrich Merz? 36:12

5M ago36:12

36:12

The elections in Germany will be held on February 23rd, and the Christian Democrats alliance of CDU/CSU, led by Friedrich Merz, is currently leading the polls. Everything suggests that Merz will be the next Chancellor. But with whom will he form a coalition? Can CDU/CSU cooperate with the extremist Alternative for Germany (Alternative für Deutschla…

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Europe is increasingly being targeted by Russian sabotage. Where is the response? 25:23

5M ago25:23

25:23

The analysis shows that Russia is escalating its efforts to destabilize European countries. While previous operations mainly focused on disinformation and cyberattacks, recent activities demonstrate a shift towards hybrid warfare, including physical sabotage and political assassinations. Another striking pattern is the shift in Russian operations t…

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Trump's era is here. What might he do about Ukraine? Is Putin happy about him and what about the US allies? 27:50

6M ago27:50

27:50

Donald Trump's era is here. What might he do about Ukraine? Is Russian leader Vladimir Putin happy about him, and what about the US allies? Charly Salonius-Pasterak, a leading researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, has co-authored a report titled Four Lenses for Observing the Second Trump Administration: Reflecting Uncertaint…

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Hope and concerns. What advice would Ukrainian expert Maria Avdeeva give Trump before meeting with Putin? 25:04

6M ago25:04

25:04

The hardest but also most inspiring year. Heading into the new year with hope. This is what Maria Avdeeva, a Ukrainian security expert, wrote on Bluesky just before the New Year. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she has been covering what's happening in her country. And she also has time to talk to me, so this is another round of ou…

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What is Poland’s primary defense objective amid Russia's war against Ukraine? 26:22

6M ago26:22

26:22

How much is Poland currently spending on defense? Can Warsaw afford it? Is Poland considering reinstating mandatory military service? And what is Poland’s primary defense objective amid Russia's war against Ukraine? About this and much more, I talked to Marek Świerczyński, head of the security and international affairs desk in Polityka Insight. Lis…

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Destabilization of democracy? What to expect in 2025 30:15

6M ago30:15

30:15

What might be the main and most important political trends that will shape the year 2025? This was my first question for Professor Erik Jones, Director of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute. Erik joined my podcast to discuss predictions for the upcoming year, as well as to reflect on what happened in…

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What's next for 007, and do we live in an era of Bond villains? 33:20

6M ago33:20

33:20

This is not my first podcast about James Bond. When No Time to Die hit theaters in 2021, I had a two-part conversation with Martin D. Brown, bondologist, Professor of International History at Richmond American University in London, and co-author of the book The Bondian Cold War: The Transnational Legacy of a Cultural Icon. Martin is back on my podc…

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Is Slovak PM Robert Fico pro-Russian? 27:52

7M ago27:52

27:52

Could Slovak politics have been "TikTok-ed" in a similar way to Romania, where the far-right candidate Calin Georgescu won the first round of the presidential election? Is Slovak PM Robert Fico pro-Russian? And why is his government relatively fragile only one year into its rule? My podcast guests usually discuss global events, but if you're intere…

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It looks like a form of oligarchy. Will Trump really run the administration? 23:49

7M ago23:49

23:49

Jennifer Mercieca is a Professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at Texas A&M University and the author of the book Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump. So we talked about Trump. Is he an existential threat to American democracy? Is he truly willing to use the Justice Department, the FBI, and other state…

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Does Russia want far-right Calin Georgescu to become president of Romania? 29:27

7M ago29:27

29:27

Does Russia want far-right Calin Georgescu to become president of Romania? "My guess is Russia is satisfied even with the current level of disarray in Romania," Oana Popescu-Zamfir told me. She is the director of the GlobalFocus Center and we discussed the current political situation in her country between the parliamentary elections and the second…

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Does Putin think he can not lose the war in Ukraine? 25:11

7M ago25:11

25:11

Does Vladimir Putin think he can not lose the war in Ukraine? Do the Russians believe this? I talked to political analyst Anton Barbashin, an editorial director of Riddle, a website about Russia I can only recommend. Anton just wrote an article titled Will Russia Use Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine? Do you want to know what are Russia's real red lines? …

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What's next for Ukraine? War is not linear but there is a high chance it will be bad 24:07

8M ago24:07

24:07

Ukraine is losing the war after 1,000 days of the Russian large-scale invasion. Why are the defenders in such a situation? Due to the lack of personnel and weapons, or hesitation of its Western allies, or the relative strength of Russia? Or is it everything combined? I talked to the military analyst Gustav Gressel. Listen to our conversation. And i…

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What could happen if Putin wins in Ukraine? German general explains 29:31

8M ago29:31

29:31

Retired Brigadier General Rainer Meyer zum Felde has vast experience regarding transatlantic security. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University. From 2013 to 2017, he was the Senior Defence Advisor at the Permanent Delegation of Germany to NATO and the German Representative in the NATO Defence Policy a…

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Trump's reign: Could it be less bad than it looks? 27:09

8M ago27:09

27:09

What is your biggest concern related to Donald Trump's second term? This was my question for a Professor of History Seth Cotlar from Willamette University in Oregon. And his answer was almost... Optimistic? Could it be less bad than it looks? Do you want to know and what are the caveats here? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, …

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Does Trump want to make America small (like Hungary)? 26:55

8M ago26:55

26:55

What can we expect from Donald Trump if he wins the presidential elections regarding foreign policy and Ukraine and Russia? Will he leave NATO? And why does it look like Trump wants to make America small like Viktor Orban's Hungary? I talked to a Russian and East European Studies Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Mitchell Orenstein. He is…

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Will the US presidential election be followed by chaos? 29:52

9M ago29:52

29:52

Will chaos follow the US presidential election? The Sonoma State Political Science Professor David McCuan cannot exclude this scenario. We discussed the polls, swing states, particular counties in swing states, Kamala Harris's campaign, Donald Trump's plans, and, of course, who might win the election. Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy wh…

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Can North Korea afford to send a large number of soldiers to Ukraine's battlefield to help Russia? 21:59

9M ago21:59

21:59

Can North Korea afford to send a large number of soldiers to Ukraine's battlefield to support Russia's aggression? Is Ukraine somehow a proxy war for Pyongyang? Does Kim Jong-un think or even believe it fights the West, the US? As there have been many discussions about how North Korea can help Russia fight Ukraine by sending its soldiers, I talked …

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Could Ukraine repeat the Kursk operation in Transnistria? 25:48

9M ago25:48

25:48

Could Ukraine repeat the Kursk operation in Transnistria? What's the situation in Moldova before the presidential election that will take place on October 20? And why are politicians like Slovak PM Robert Fico talking about reestablishing standard relations with Russia? I talked to Denis Cenusa, an Associate Expert at the Eastern Europe Studies Cen…

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Who is afraid of the October surprise? Kamala Harris or Donald Trump? 24:27

9M ago24:27

24:27

The Americans have one month to decide who they will vote for. Will it be a Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump? As this is a spooky season, I asked Professor of Political Science from North Carolina State University Steven Greene which candidate is more concerned about a possible October surprise. We all know that the polls are tight…

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Would Australia join NATO if it could? 27:44

9M ago27:44

27:44

Would Australia join NATO if it could? How is Canberra looking at what's going on in Beijing and Moscow? What is the primary objective of the AUKUS alliance, and how does it contribute to Australia's security interests? Bryce Wakefield explains it all in my podcast. He is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of International Affa…

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The West doesn't have stomach to say: Russia is a terrorist state. Why? 26:18

10M ago26:18

26:18

Kacper Rekawek is a Senior Research Fellow and Current and Emerging Threats Programme Lead at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism in the Hague. He just published the report Russian State Terrorism and State Sponsorship of Terrorism. But it seems the West doesn't have the stomach to say that Russia is a terrorist state. Why is it so despi…

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What keeps Enrico Letta awake at night when he thinks about European economy? 21:49

10M ago21:49

21:49

What keeps former Italian Prime Minister and current President of Jacques Delors Institute Enrico Letta awake at night when he thinks about the European economy? This was my first question for him and from there we went to a discussion about the European defense industry, EU competitiveness, demography, migration, austerity, and, of course, his rep…

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What is Russia's most effective weapon in the war against Ukraine? General (Ret.) Phil Breedlove explains 19:36

10M ago19:36

19:36

What is Russia's most effective weapon in the war against Ukraine? You might be surprised by what Philip Breedlove thinks about this. He is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force who served as the commander of U.S. European Command, as well as the 17th Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) of NATO Allied Command Operations, f…

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What kind of effect has the Kursk incursion on Putin's regime? Mark Galeotti explains 29:45

10M ago29:45

29:45

I don't think I need to introduce Mark Galeotti whose new book Downfall: Prigozhin, Putin, and the New Fight for the Future of Russia was just published and he is also a fellow podcaster so listen to his show In Moscow's Shadows. Mark is the director of the consultancy firm Mayak Intelligence, an Honorary Professor at UCL School of Slavonic & East …

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Tom Nichols: I consider Trump an existential threat to American democracy 26:25

11M ago26:25

26:25

Tom Nichols is a staff writer at The Atlantic and an author of the Atlantic Daily newsletter. He is also a Professor Emeritus of national-security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, where he taught for 25 years. His books include The Death of Expertise and Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault From Within on Modern Democracy. I am happy to have Tom …

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What do we know about China's decision process for the use of nuclear weapons? 27:29

11M ago27:29

27:29

I can only recommend reading the report - Political Drivers of China’s Changing Nuclear Policy: Implications for U.S.-China Nuclear Relations and International Security - so I also wanted to talk to its author. Tong Zhao is a Senior Fellow with the Nuclear Policy Program and Carnegie China and I'm happy he agreed and what follows is our debate. Are…

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Donald Trump is 78. Can he stop his presidential campaign like Joe Biden? 26:01

11M ago26:01

26:01

Donald Trump is 78. Do you think there is any chance he could follow Joe Biden's example and will stop his campaign? That was one of my questions for Professor Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha from the Department of Political Science at the University of North Texas as we discussed the current state of the US presidential campaign. Of course, we also talked a…

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How is Russia moving oil through the Mediterranean and what to possibly do about it 28:41

11M ago28:41

28:41

This is a special episode of my podcast as I have more than one guest for the first time. And not two, but three. I talked to Alessio Armenzoni, an Associate Fellow at the London-based Open Source Centre, Giangiuseppe Pili, an Assistant Professor at the Intelligence Analysis Program at James Madison University and Gary Kessler, the president of Gar…

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Paris Olympics: The main security threat is jihadi terrorism. And what about Russia? 17:51

12M ago17:51

17:51

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris is the biggest sports event of the year. It will attract fans from around the world but, unfortunately, it also attracts terrorists of all kinds. So what are the main threats France is facing? I talked to Lucas Webber who is a Co-Founder of MilitantWire.com and a Research Fellow at the Soufan Center and he is mostl…