Historian Stephen Kotkin became the Kleinheinz Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution in 2022. He taught at Princeton for more than 30 years, and is the author of nine works of history, including the first two volumes of his biography of Joseph Stalin, Paradoxes of Power, 1878 to 1928 and Waiting for Hitler, 1929 to 1941. He is now completing the third and final volume. Since the war in Ukraine broke out a year ago, Kotkin has appeared regularly on Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson to offer his unique perspective on the Russian aggression and answer five questions for us. This is the third installment.

Cast

Stephen Kotkin

Stephen Kotkin

Related

Videos

The Noble Failure Of Russia’s Liberal reformers

Russia’s rapid economic decline in the 1990s was the result of too little, rather than too much, ‘shock therapy’.

August 17, 2026

Articles

The Jolt Germany Asked For And The One That May Arrive

In April 1997, President Roman Herzog told Germany it needed a Ruck — a jolt — to break out of national lethargy and undertake deep reform. Twenty-nine years later, many of the issues he identified remain unresolved. The jolt that may arrive on 6 September would test the resilience of the political system rather than reform it.

August 13, 2026

Videos

Norway: Defense And Diplomacy In The High North And Beyond

H.R. McMaster and Ine Eriksen Søreide discuss what it will take for Norway to protect critical infrastructure and preserve democratic resilience in this more dangerous European security environment.

August 13, 2026 • 48 Min Watch