In this gripping episode of Dictators v Democrats: Why We Fight we sit down with award-winning journalist and war correspondent John Sweeney.
With four decades on the frontlines from Grozny to Kyiv, Sweeney unpacks what he's learned about authoritarian power, the role of propaganda, and why telling the truth still matters.
From Chechnya to Ukraine, from the Taliban to Tommy Robinson, Sweeney reflects on how democracies are under siege from bombs and bullets, lies, nostalgia, and digital manipulation.
🔥 Highlights include:
- Why war reporting matters — and why some stories can only be told from the frontlines
- The humour and horror of being arrested by both Russian and Ukrainian authorities
- Putin, Trump, and the pathology of power
- The real threat of radical disinformation — and how social media platforms are failing democracy
- Brexit, bots, and British amnesia: why we forgot what fascism looks like
- What democracies must do to defend truth, dignity, and freedom
- A powerful message to Vladimir Putin - VPDFO!
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