Is Russia trying to reshape America from within? Keir Giles — one of the leading specialists on Russia, cyber warfare and information operations — joins us to discuss the escalating confrontation between Russia and the West, and the central argument behind his forthcoming new book, American Overthrow: Moscow’s Endgame in Its Long War with Washington. Giles is an Associate Fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House and leads the Conflict Studies Research Centre. He has spent decades studying Russian military strategy, cyber conflict, disinformation and Moscow’s confrontation with the West, and is also the author of Russia’s War on Everybody and Moscow Rules. (Chatham House) In this episode, we ask a provocative question: what if Russia’s most important victories against the United States are not taking place on the battlefield at all? Russia’s war is not confined to Ukraine. Giles explains how Moscow’s confrontation with the West reaches into US politics, democratic institutions, information systems, cyber networks and the political divisions within Western societies. We explore Russia’s strategy against the United States and NATO, why Moscow’s ambitions extend far beyond Ukraine, and how the Kremlin uses cyber attacks, disinformation, sabotage, political influence and economic power as instruments of modern conflict. We also examine one of the most consequential questions facing the West today: could political change inside the United States deliver Russia strategic victories that it could never achieve militarily? The conversation looks at Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, competing approaches to power, changing US foreign policy, spheres of influence and what a more inward-looking America could mean for Ukraine, NATO and European security. We discuss: • Why Russia’s ambitions extend beyond Ukraine • Moscow’s long confrontation with the United States and the West • Keir Giles’ new book American Overthrow • Putin’s long-term geopolitical objectives • Russia’s cyber warfare and information operations • Disinformation, sabotage and political influence • How foreign powers exploit genuine divisions inside democratic societies • US politics and the future of American global leadership • Trump, Putin and different approaches to political power • Whether American institutions can be weakened from within • Russia’s oligarchic system and modern “feudalism” • NATO’s biggest strategic vulnerabilities • What Ukraine is teaching NATO about modern warfare • Drone warfare and counter-drone technology • Military leadership and political purges in Russia • What Western governments continue to misunderstand about Putin • Whether Russia can already claim strategic success • What the United States and NATO should do next Giles argues that understanding Russia means looking beyond individual battles in Ukraine and asking a much bigger question: What would victory actually look like from Moscow’s perspective? If Russia can weaken Western unity, undermine confidence in democratic institutions, reduce American commitment to NATO and Ukraine, and convince Western populations that resistance is futile, then Moscow may not need to defeat the West in a conventional war. As Giles puts it: “Russia’s ambitions extend beyond Ukraine.” “Russia’s war on everybody affects us all.” And perhaps most strikingly: “Success for Russia is now within reach.” 📖 Keir Giles’ new book, American Overthrow: Moscow’s Endgame in Its Long War with Washington, is forthcoming in September 2026. If you follow Russia, Ukraine, NATO, Putin, Donald Trump, US politics, cyber warfare, disinformation, defence, national security or geopolitics, subscribe for more long-form conversations with leading experts and decision-makers. Do you think Russia’s greatest opportunity today lies on the battlefield in Ukraine — or inside the politics of the West? #AmericanOverthrow #Russia #Ukraine #NATO #Putin
