Tara Reade

Tara and Olga, fresh from the third Russia-Africa summit in Moscow, welcome Dr. Radhika Desai, a geopolitical economist from Canada. Is the French foreign minister’s charge that Russia is “colonizing minds” in Africa a case of projection? Can imperialism exist without territorial control? And why does Canadian PM Mark Carney appear to stand up to Trump while accommodating him? What are “performative wars”? Does a government urging citizens to stockpile three days of supplies serve a security purpose, or a case for higher defense budgets? Who benefits when European arms spending rises: ordinary citizens or private corporations? And what does it say that young Germans are protesting conscription plans? Are Trump’s Ukraine and diesel moves really aimed at the midterms? What could the US look like after November 3, and could it derail a Trump–Xi–Putin meeting? Why does Desai call the Iran buildup a “quagmire,” and why should Russia be cautious about hoping for too much? ▶️ This episode on YouTube | Rumble | BitChute | X 🔔 East Meets West explores geopolitics beyond the headlines. It's time to follow us if not yet!

Olga and Tara welcome political analyst Garland Nixon. Is the new spat between Trump and Zelensky a media show, or a battle between competing factions in Washington and Europe — over how to deal with Russia? Could Starlink be used as leverage to push Zelensky toward negotiations? Is Zelensky growing bolder because he expects the Democrats to win the midterms? And is Ukraine’s collapse a matter of “when,” not “if”? Who benefits from prolonging the war in Ukraine? Why do European leaders remain politically trapped in a conflict tied to hundreds of billions of dollars in bonds and investments? And what would happen to frozen Russian assets if the conflict ended and Moscow demanded its money back? Can any deal survive with the US being “a group of warring factions”? And what could Republican divisions, a “lame-duck” Trump, or an impeachment battle mean for Ukraine after the midterms? Are the protests and unrest across Europe driven by immigration, or by austerity and war spending? What does Garland mean by an “illusion of democracy,” and why could more political violence follow? ▶️ This episode on YouTube | Rumble | BitChute | X 🔔 East Meets West explores geopolitics beyond the headlines. It's time to follow us if not yet!

🎙️ You know Olga as the host of East Meets West — but this time, she’s the guest! Olga joins The Homeless Left to share her expertise on Russia and discuss Trump’s Russia policy, the war in Ukraine, Western media narratives, and the role of independent journalism. 🎬 WATCH the full conversation: 🎞 YouTube 📺 Rumble

Olga and Tara welcome Larry Johnson, former CIA officer. Why is the US-Russia diesel deal meaningless for the US — and massive for Russia? Did the deal violate laws Trump himself signed? And can it hold if, as Johnson claims, the CIA is a “wild card” pursuing its own agenda? Can Washington really pressure Kiev? What would a halt to satellite data or a Starlink shutdown change on the battlefield? What does Larry Johnson believe changed in Russia’s approach after the Starobelsk college attack? What does Larry Johnson mean when he calls Europe the “canary in the mineshaft”? Could Riyadh use its Treasury holdings to pull the US into its conflict with the Houthis? And with Trump caught in the Iran conflict before the midterms, does Johnson’s reading of US politics hold up? ▶️ This episode on YouTube | Rumble | BitChute | X 🔔 East Meets West explores geopolitics beyond the headlines. It's time to follow us if not yet!

Olga and Tara welcome Fyodor Lukyanov, Program Director of the Valdai International Discussion Club — for a deep-dive perspective on the escalation between Russia and Europe, why both Kiev and Moscow believe they can win the war, and how the West’s ideological habits distort the actual politician President Putin is. Is Europe using Russia as a convenient political foe to unify domestic populations and mask internal economic and social struggles? Why does Fyodor Lukyanov argue that current Western diplomatic approaches are built on a non-starter premise? And how has centuries of European distrust shaped today’s military-political crisis? Are Trump’s assessments of the conflict overly simplified and missing the root causes that date back to the 1980s? Is a military breakthrough in the Russia-Ukraine conflict still possible? And what makes the Western belief in a potential Russian collapse a dangerous historical misconception? Why is Western demonization completely distorting the reality of Vladimir Putin’s political profile? Why does Fyodor Lukyanov call him the most pro-Western leader in the history of Russia, even if ‘at the first stage’? And why does Putin remain genuinely committed to finding inclusive solutions even when Europe repeatedly rejects them? ▶️ This episode on YouTube | Rumble | BitChute | X 🔔 East Meets West explores geopolitics beyond the headlines. It's time to follow us if not yet!

Valdai is one of my favorite events! So happy Olga was able to interview Fydor in this groundbreaking discussion. Please listen, watch, share far and wide !

⚠️ IMPORTANT UPDATE ⚠️ Our current YouTube account has been BLOCKED and will not be restored. We are disappointed by this attack, but will be back on YouTube with a new account. In the meantime, you can also follow us on: 📺 Rumble ▶️ BitChute THANK YOU for staying with us!

You tube has shut down our channel. Censorship is not going to silence the podcast

Olga and Tara welcome investigative journalist Ben Swann — creator of the acclaimed Zelensky Unmasked series — for a wide-ranging conversation on the war in Ukraine that is draining a generation, Trump’s risk of becoming another Jimmy Carter, schisms within US intelligence agencies, Russia's recent elections, and much more. Is Ukraine’s male population being sent to the front against their will, and why has fighting shifted almost entirely to drones? Why does Ben Swann argue that the war is being run less from the Pentagon and more from the CIA — and what does that mean for who actually controls US policy? Why does Ben Swann call the latest Russia sanctions bill “toothless”, and what does he think it reveals about Washington’s real priorities? Is Trump boxed in by agencies and allies he underestimated? What drove Trump’s decision to strike Iran despite warnings from his own Joint Chiefs chairman and Tulsi Gabbard — and why didn’t it go as planned? What do competing factions within the CIA and other intelligence agencies mean for Trump’s ability to change course? ▶️ This episode on YouTube | Rumble | BitChute | X 🔔 East Meets West explores geopolitics beyond the headlines. It's time to follow us if not yet!

A few thoughts on the election in Russia

https://odysee.com/@RT:fd/tara-reade-elections:4 https://rumble.com/v7fs1ao-transparency-efficiency-and-integrity-tara-reade-on-russias-elections.html

What a great conversation with Jimmy Dore

Olga and Tara are joined by political commentator Jimmy Dore — to talk about Trump’s new hair and new term, Ukraine negotiations, Iran, the current state of the US military, the Charlie Kirk assassination, the Epstein files, and much more. Is the US stretched too thin to win two wars at once? Dore argues the Iran conflict drained missile stockpiles meant for Ukraine — so what does that say about America’s real military capacity, and who might be watching closely? Does it actually matter who wins the US midterms? Dore says no, arguing both parties answer to the same donors regardless of outcome. Is voting still a real lever for change? What really shifted Trump between his first and second terms? Dore lays out a theory involving lawsuits, imprisoned allies, and the Epstein files — and on the ground, how much of the anger Tara found in the US is about foreign policy versus the cost of living? ▶️ This episode on YouTube | Rumble | BitChute | X 🔔 East Meets West explores geopolitics beyond the headlines. It's time to follow us if not yet!

Where is Olga Bataman? Surely, at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok! It’s all about the discussions and meetings — but also the incredible location, the campus, and a Russian city to fall in love with 🌊 Take a quick tour of the forum with Olga: