Ordering the Disorder Monthly Newsletter
February 2024: The Navalny Murder and Navalny's messianic message to us all
The Disorder Podcast is a co-production between Goalhanger Podcasts and the Global Enduring Disorder Ltd, the producers of this newsletter.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
As February comes to a close I think it is key to reflect on the significance of Navalny’s murder to the global order. New information has emerged that the US and allies were negotiating to get Navalny out in some kind of prisoner swap, just before he was killed. You can read more about that from CNN here. If this is in fact the proximal cause for the timing of his murder it makes you wonder if the Russian security state has different mutually opposed factions — say some who advocate for engaging with the West and negotiating an end to the War in Ukraine and others who proactively oppose the diplomats who advocate for engaging with the West and wish to simply kill all opposition to the regime and prolong the War. Well, to my mind both factions are still murderous thugs.
In the days following Navalny’s murder, Western leaders have made all too predictable speeches and issued all too predictable condemnations. But as of yet, very little concrete action has been taken to respond to the murder of Russia’s most prominent opposition politician. The West talks the talk, but has yet to walk the walk. How should Biden, Sunak and Ursula Van Der Leyen hit Putin where it actually hurts and genuinely punish him for his actions? In this episode of Disorder, Jason Pack sits down with successful investor, globally acclaimed author, and famous philanthropist/humanitarian advocate, Bill Browder. A close friend of Navalny, Browder talks of his emotions at hearing of his ally’s death, how ‘demoralizing’ the news is for ordinary people opposing Putin’s regime, and what the West can now do to turn their words of condemnation and outrage into concrete actions. Bill recalls that when he first went to Russia in the 1990s, a chaotic and poorly-organized mafia gradually spread throughout the country. Then, it spread its tentacles throughout the world. And we in the West essentially let this happen. And now Navalny has died bearing further witness to the extent of corruption, indecency, and thuggery in Russia. We must not stand idly by. Browder’s interview concludes with a passionate plea to Western governments – especially the United Kingdom – to work together to confiscate Russian cash reserves and free other imprisoned opposition leaders.
So I hope you enjoy this episode as it is to my mind our best yet. And I will have an article shortly about my idea that Navalny was a quasi-messianic martyr for democracy which I look forward to sharing with you when it is out.
Now, let's take a look back at the last month of Global Enduring Disorder.
New Perspectives on Disorder
LISTEN: What chance peace in Israel?
On Keen On, Jason Pack talks with Andrew Keen about Netanyahu, Hamas, Biden and why he still have faith in the Israeli people to come to their senses. Listen here.
LISTEN: How to Solve a Problem Like the Houthis
In Behind The Lines, Arthur Snell speaks to Laura Cretney, scholar, researcher and social entrepreneur based in the region, about the Houthis’ role in Yemen, the wider political context and the regional factors in play in the attacks on the Red Sea and the US and UK response. Listen here.
READ: A Russian Spy Ring at the Heart of the British Establishment
On The Cipher Brief, Jason Pack reviews ‘A Spy Alone: A Novel’ by former MI6 officer, using the pseudonym Charles Beaumont. “When the truths of our politics are stranger than even the most fanciful fiction, is there any merit in reading political fiction? Furthermore, can serious students, scholars, and civil servants derive real educative or entertainment value from fictionized accounts of today’s politics? A Spy Alone answers these questions in the affirmative”. Read here.
What else caught our eye this month:
LISTEN: a great pod about the history of humor - William Hartston on Comedy and Laughter | The Etan Ilfeld Podcast
READ: Jason Pack’s Review of Knock, Knock In Pursuit of a Grand Unified Theory of Humour
READ: What South Africa Really Won at the ICJ, by Sasha Polakow-Suransky | Foreign Policy
Ordering the Disorder
Ep25. Could Artificial Intelligence-powered disinformation campaigns cause electoral mayhem?
“Election night 2020, I spent that evening in a safe house, under armed guard, with a pistol under my pillow.” Miles Taylor, a former government official under the Trump Administration, best known for his ‘Anonymous’ New York Times Article ‘I am part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,’ talks about going against Trump and his current mission to counter election disinformation. Listen here.
Ep24. What does South Africa stand to gain from accusing Israel of Genocide in Gaza?
Much ink has been spilled about the legal definition of the crime of Genocide and if Israel has committed it in Gaza or if Hamas committed it on October 7th. In this podcast, we are not examining those legal or moral issues. Rather, by adopting a non-legal, and non-humanitarian frame of mind, we are going to examine what are the underlying geopolitical, historical, and diplomatic reasons for South Africa bringing a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)? With Sasha Polakow-Suransky, deputy editor of Foreign Policy and author of ‘The Unspoken Alliance: Israel's Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa’. Listen here.
Ep23. Is the democratic world morally responsible for allowing Putin's rise? With Evgenia Kara-Murza
Imagine you were poisoned – twice – for expressing your opinion. Sentenced to 25 years in a remote Siberian prison, facing torture, for fighting for democracy. That’s the reality facing Vladimir Kara-Murza. You can hear his moving story told by his wife Evgenia Kara-Murza, and why democracies need to pay attention. Listen here.
And if you have any questions, suggestions or comments please reach out at disordershow@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you!
Thanks for reading, clicking, listening, and engaging. As always, we hope we will be writing to you from a more ‘ordered’ world, but don’t hold your breath.
Jason Pack & the Global Enduring Disorder team