“Cold War Revisited”
ABC Radio National, Sunday Extra
with Dr. Stefan Auer (Associate Professor at the University of Hong Kong )
The interview starting with a short extract of a Regan’s discourse is a reminiscence of the Cold War. Professor Auer reminded the audience the real threat of Russian expansionism and how unfortunate it was for the West to not have anyone with the same credibility of American ex-president Reagan to stand up to Putin’s offenses with tougher sanctions; especially after the shoot-down of the Malaysia Airlines airplane over Ukraine. Dr. Auer pointed out that Putin’s actions have not been merely for national defence but they are a real threat for international stability and have also violated the internationally recognized sovereignty of Ukraine. Talking from his personal experience of being from former Czechoslovakia, a former Soviet state, he pointed out how threatening the issue is and how the Russian rhetoric of Putin is nothing more than an advance towards Russian expansionism.
The interview is a very interesting debate with differing points of view on Russia’s role and the risk of slipping back into another Cold War.
Click to listen to the full interview