Inside Shadow Diplomacy

Jerry Langton

In Inside Shadow Fiplomacy, I read and explain my book Shadow Diplomacy, in which Lev Parnas describes the inner workings of the Trump administration and why they do the things they do. Think of it as something of an anontated audiobook. Even if you think you know it all about the Trump administration, there will be something in this podcast that will shock you. I'd love for this to start a discussion, so please feel free to comment. 

Episodes

  1. 4 Nov

    Episode 2: A Trip to Vienna

    Our story begins with Lev Parnas in Vienna. He's meeting with a Ukrainian multibillionaire oligarch. It's not an official meeting, but a secret one. Who sent him? President Donald Trump via Rudy Giuliani. Why was he there? To dig up dirt on the Bidens to help Trump win the 2020 presidential election.

  2. 3 Nov

    Inside Shadow Diplomacy, Episode 2: Giuliani, Firtash, and the Ukraine Bargain

    In this episode of Inside Shadow Diplomacy, we look at Rudy Giuliani's Ukraine mission and the part played by the oligarch Dmytro Firtash. We cover how Firtash built his business and political power after the Soviet Union fell. We also follow Ukraine's political upheavals and the parallels with American politics. Then we look at Paul Manafort's work for oligarch clients and its ties to the anti-Clinton campaign. Finally, we examine Firtash's fight against extradition to the US and the deal over Joe Biden that he was offered, and what may come next.

    Inside Shadow Diplomacy, Episode 2: Giuliani, Firtash, and the Ukraine Bargain

  3. 23 Oct

    Inside Shadow Diplomacy: Lev Parnas, Ukraine, and the First Trump Impeachment

    How did backchannel deals, foreign influence and a cast of unlikely middlemen lead to the first impeachment of Donald Trump? In this episode, the author of Inside Shadow Diplomacy explains the book's central idea: that parts of modern politics work much like organized crime. We trace the path from Trump and Rudy Giuliani to the wider machinery of organized power, look at how Russian influence and oil interests allegedly shaped Trump-era policy, and see how shadow diplomacy played out through Lev Parnas and Ukraine. The author also describes meeting Parnas, why he decided to tell this story, and why he self-published the book and started this podcast.

  4. 23 Oct

    Inside Shadow Diplomacy: How Mafia-Style Power Reached American Politics

    In this first episode, I introduce my book, Shadow Diplomacy, and the story behind it: how mafia-style power found its way into American politics. I look at why Trump lined up with Russian interests, covering his motives, the oil politics involved and the logic of shadow diplomacy. Then I go inside Lev Parnas's Ukraine operation, which led to the first Trump impeachment, and explain how this book came together. I finish by talking about why I started this podcast and why this story still matters today.

  • 4 Episodes

About

In Inside Shadow Fiplomacy, I read and explain my book Shadow Diplomacy, in which Lev Parnas describes the inner workings of the Trump administration and why they do the things they do. Think of it as something of an anontated audiobook. Even if you think you know it all about the Trump administration, there will be something in this podcast that will shock you. I'd love for this to start a discussion, so please feel free to comment. 

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