July 18, 2022 — Bill Browder was a prominent foreign investor in Russia until he was banned by President Vladimir Putin. In a gripping interview with Ray Suarez, Browder recounts a hunt for missing money that led him to discover a corruption and conspiracy plot involving Putin’s inner circle. Browder breaks down the Russian government’s lethal response, the landmark Magnitsky Act, and what Putin’s past can teach us about what he might do next – in Ukraine and beyond.
But first, we revisit a brief excerpt from Ray’s 2021 interview with prominent Putin critic, Fiona Hill. In it, she warns us that the big mistake people often make is, “underestimating Russia and underestimating somebody like Vladimir Putin.”
Ray’s interview with Bill Browder was recorded as part of a live event at the Aspen Institute on July 12, 2022.
Related Episodes
How Europe Paid to Lock Up Migrants… and Threw Away The Key
In “My Fourth Time, We Drowned,” journalist Sally Hayden reports on the shadowy immigration system created by the European Union which captures and imprisons migrants from Africa to keep them from reaching European...
Ukraine Diaries: The Ones Who Stayed
This week, we talked to Ukrainians about the ways that the war unexpectedly changed their lives.
Will War Bring the End of Ukraine’s Democracy?
Ray Suarez sits down with Masha Gessen, staff writer for The New Yorker, to unpack the toll of Russia’s aggression on Ukraine’s freedoms… and democracy.
Ukraine’s David and Goliath Fight for the Security of Europe
Global affairs analyst Michael Bociurkiw joins Ray Suarez to explain how a besieged Ukraine may be Europe’s last line of defense against Putin.
Remembering Alexei Navalny…
To remember the life and political career of Alexei Navalny, we’re revisiting Ray’s conversation with "Navalny" filmmaker Daniel Roher.
Dodging Bullets For Bylines: Sean Carberry on War Reporting
Sean Carberry, author of the memoir “Passport Stamps: Searching The World For A War To Call Home,” joins Ray Suarez to unpack the human costs of reporting from war zones.
WSJ Moscow Bureau Chief on the Fate of Evan Gershkovich
We revisit our conversation with CPJ’s Gulnoza Said on why the safety of journalists matters to the health of a free press. Then, Ann Simmons, Moscow Bureau Chief at The Wall Street Journal, joins Ray Suarez to give an...
2023 Wrapped: A Year of Survival, Sovereignty, and Supremacy
Ray Suarez speaks with Jessica Chen Weiss, Karim Elgendy, and Luke Harding about 2023's most significant geopolitical shifts… and the foreign policy issues that will define 2024.
US State Department’s Mallory Stewart on Controlling Nuclear Escalation
US State Department nuclear expert Mallory Stewart joins Ray Suarez to share how serious nuclear threats are to the US.
I’ll See Your Deterrence, And Raise You… Nuclear Annihilation
Shannon E. French and Matt Korda join Ray Suarez to unpack why talk of nuclear annihilation is now being so casually thrown around by world leaders.
Poverty? Climate Disaster? Are World Bank Bonds the Solution?
World Bank VP and Treasurer Jorge Familiar joins Ray Suarez to share how the World Bank has revised its mission to tackle the twin problems of climate change and inequality.
Putin’s Victory in the South Caucasus
In this episode, we revisit our conversations with Russian-American journalist Simon Ostrovsky and independent Azeri journalist Arzu Geybulla on the roots of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict post-Soviet collapse, and the...
Whose Sovereignty Is It Anyway? Armenia’s ICC Bid For Justice with Sheila Paylan
Human rights lawyer Sheila Paylan joins Ray Suarez to unpack why Armenians are accusing Azerbaijan of war crimes and ethnic cleansing, and what Armenia’s decision to join the ICC means for the country’s strained...
Troubled Times: Brexit’s Toll on Northern Ireland
Jude Webber, Ireland correspondent for The Financial Times, joins Ray Suarez to unpack how the precarious peace held together by the Good Friday agreement is at risk of unraveling.
Inside the Good Friday Agreement, with Tony Blair’s Chief Negotiator
From our friends at Foreign Policy’s “The Negotiators,” Jonathan Powell, a chief negotiator of the Good Friday agreement, shares how the peace deal came to be.
The Kremlin’s Kim-ouflage
Andrei Lankov, Director at NK News, joins Ray Suarez to explain why Kim Jong Un is solidifying relations with Russia… and not China.
Two Dictators Walk Into a Bar: What We Learned From the Putin-Kim Summit
Ray Suarez speaks with New York Times’ national security reporter Julian Barnes about Russia’s alleged arms deal with North Korea, and what it means for the war in Ukraine.
Regulating Big Tech: Is TikTok Still on the Clock?
Ray Suarez speaks with Gerard de Graaf about strengthening US-EU cooperation on digital affairs. Then, Caitlin Chin returns with an update on the latest digital drama between Washington & Beijing... and the pending...
Molière Out, Mercenaries In: Powers and Politics in Françafrique
Ray Suarez sits down with security analyst Fola Aina and journalist Nabila Ramdani to discuss the coup in Niger – and across former French colonies in the Sahel region.
Blood and Butter: Why Russia’s Economy is Falling Faster Than Prigozhin’s Plane
Ray Suarez speaks with Catherine Belton, The Washington Post’s Russia reporter, about the mercenary organization’s future and the price Russians — ordinary and oligarch — are paying for Putin’s power plays.
Putin’s Prigozhin Trap, with Anne Applebaum
Historian Anne Applebaum argues that Putin needed a spectacular act of violence after Prigozhin’s challenge to his power. She and Ray discuss what this means for a fragile Russia.
QAnon’s German Blitz
Ray Suarez and journalist Julia Ebner explore how once-fringe movements like QAnon are popping up in European political circles.
General Petraeus’ Guide to Diplomacy… and Deterrence with China
General David Petraeus offers insights on how small nations can contend with formidable superpowers, and how President Volodymyr Zelenskyy scored the role of a lifetime.
Falling (Communist) Blocs and the Rise of Tetris
Screenwriter Noah Pink tells Ray Suarez how he discovered the true story behind “Tetris,” from the Cold War race to secure the rights to the classic video game to its escape from the former Soviet Union.
A Twitter Coup? Pics or Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Mutiny Didn’t Happen
Ray Suarez speaks with Jen Kirby, Vox’s Foreign and National Security Reporter, about fact verification and conflict reporting amidst state propaganda and viral Twitter memes.
Money Talks, Kingdom Walks: Global Finance and Saudi Politics
Eric Pelofsky, Deputy Chief of Staff and Vice President of the Rockefeller Foundation, joined Ray Suarez days before the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris to share how international financial institutions...
PlateGate: The Conspiracies About What We Eat
Laicie Heeley, Executive Producer and Host of “Things That Go Boom,” joins Ray Suarez to break down how cracks in our food system have paved the way for international conspiracy theories about the ongoing food...
French Identity and the Battle for the Baguette
Ray Suarez speaks with French legal scholar Rim-Sarah Alouane about the "great replacement theory", and what it takes to be considered “French first.”
Is Kosovo on the Verge of Renewed Conflict?
Anatol Lieven, journalist and Eurasian Program Director at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, joins Ray Suarez to explain why ethnic tensions are once again flaring up in the Balkans.
How Erdoğan Plans to “Make Turkey Great Again”
Ray Suarez speaks with Merve Tahiroğlu, Turkey Program Director at the Project on Middle East Democracy about Erdoğan’s imperial ambitions.
Georgia’s Dilemma: Wait on the West, or Succumb to Putin?
Reporter Levi Bridges takes us on the ground to the former Soviet state of Georgia where we hear about the dangers of standing up to Russia.
Marie Yovanovitch: The Ambassador Who Testified Against Trump
Ray Suarez spoke with retired Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch about a lifetime of public service, and why she remains optimistic about Ukraine’s fight for freedom.
CityNerd Debunks the “15-Minute City” Conspiracy
The 15-Minute City has the potential to address many challenges of city living— but it hasn’t been without its critics. CityNerd creator Ray Delahanty joins Ray Suarez to debunk anti-urbanism conspiracies.
The Masculinity Crisis: What’s a Man to Do?
Ray Suarez speaks with Idrees Kahloon, DC bureau chief at The Economist, about how men have been pushed to the sidelines.
Is It a Man’s World?
Angela Saini, author of "The Patriarchs: How Men Came To Rule," joins Ray Suarez to break down what the "patriarchy" is, and how it operates.
What’s Newsworthy? A Behind the Scenes Look at Global Dispatches
Ray Suarez sits down with Mark Goldberg, host of "Global Dispatches," to explore how international journalism can remain vital.
The Free Press, Held Hostage
Gulnoza Said, CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator, joins Ray Suarez to discuss the ongoing threats to free press around the world.
Saudi Arabia Turns Off the Tap: Will Gas Prices Spike?
On this episode, Ray Suarez sits down with Jim Krane, author of "Energy Kingdoms: Oil and Political Survival in the Persian Gulf,” to discuss OPEC's surprise oil cuts, and what that means for your wallet.
Why Russia Is Stealing Ukraine’s Future
In today's episode, Ray talks with post-Soviet expert Nicholas Eberstadt to understand why Russia's historic population collapse is fueling Putin's brinkmanship in Ukraine.
The ICC Issues A Warrant for Putin… What Happens Next?
Beth Van Schaack, ambassador-at-large for Global Criminal Justice at the DOS, tells Ray Suarez why it's so challenging to prosecute war criminals.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Fighting Authoritarianism in Exile
In this episode, we revisit Ray's conversation with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to understand how women might light a new path of leadership, and why there is still more work to do following the...
Can Microloans Lift Women Out of Poverty?
Bank run? How about banks run by women? Ray Suarez sits down with Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President & CEO of Women's World Banking and author of "There's Nothing Micro About A Billion Women: Making Finance Work For...
The Children the Pandemic Left Behind (And How We Can Help Them Catch Up)
Ray Suarez is joined by the World Bank's Norbert Schady, Chief Economist for Human Development, and Mamta Murthi, Vice President for Human Development, to discuss COVID-19's hidden economic crisis.
What A Veteran Writer from the New Yorker Learned Covering the Ukraine War
Joshua Yaffa wasn't a war correspondent, but The New Yorker writer became one when Russia invaded Ukraine. In this episode, he joins Ray Suarez.
Ambassador McFaul: How the Ukrainians Can Break Through
In this episode, Ambassador Michael McFaul tells Ray Suarez why the global response to the current crisis will determine who wins or loses.
From Russia with Love: Escaped Russians Face History
In part two of our Ukraine anniversary special, journalist Levi Bridges tells the story of the Russian exodus, and the cultural reckoning that followed.
Bill Browder: Putin’s Stalemate in Ukraine
In the first part of our Ukraine anniversary special, Bill Browder joins host Ray Suarez to answer what Putin might do next – and how long this war may last.
Kerning Cultures Presents: Armenian Pilgrimages
A new generation of Armenian pilgrims are traveling to what is now eastern Turkey in the hopes of locating their ancestral homes. In this episode, the podcast Kerning Cultures brings us the story of Armenian-American...
The Siege of Stepanakert: A Post-Soviet Conflict in Ukraine’s Shadow
The siege of Nagorno-Karabakh is now in its 64th day, leaving 120,000 ethnic Armenians cut off from food, fuel and medicine. In this episode, journalist Lara Setrakian and advisor to the state minister of Artsakh Artak...
Learning From Past Fights With Inflation
As we slouch towards economic recovery, what can we learn from past fights with inflation? In this episode of "On Shifting Ground," Ray Suarez speaks with author and economist J. Bradford DeLong about who is most...
What ISIS Can Teach Us About Drone Warfare in Ukraine
In the age of remote warfare, how do we judge accountability when the rules of engagement remain murky? We revisit Ray's conversation with investigative reporter Azmat Khan and ethics professor Shannon French.
What Will a Republican Majority in the House Mean for US Foreign Policy?
In this episode, Ray Suarez and Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Chris Tuttle discuss the impacts of the midterms on US foreign policy.
Why Congressman Andy Kim is Worried About War With China
In this episode, Rep. Andy Kim sits down with World Affairs CEO Philip Yun to discuss foreign policy in 2023 and the growing disconnect between Washington and the American people.
January 6th and the Global Far Right Revival
In this episode, authors Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Julia Ebner join Ray Suarez to discuss authoritarianism and misinformation to answer how we can prevent the next January 6.
A Post-Roe World: Poland’s Pro-Choice Fight
On this episode of "On Shifting Ground," Ray Suarez speaks with author and feminist Agnieszka Graff about Poland's war on abortion – and how a historic protest movement is fighting back.
How Technology Fights – and Fuels – Misinformation
CEO of PeaceTech Lab, Sheldon Himelfarb, sits down with Ray to discuss what makes our present-day information crisis so unique – and dangerous. Then Alexa Koenig, Executive Director of UC Berkeley’s Human Rights...
Larry Brilliant on Stopping The Next Pandemic
Epidemiologist Larry Brilliant joins Ray Suarez to break down what the global pandemic response community got wrong (and right), the enduring geopolitics of vaccination and the urgent need to build a more...
Welcome to “On Shifting Ground”
New name...same award-winning insights. "On Shifting Ground with Ray Suarez" drops on October 31st.
Hate Speech and Extremism: What to Listen For Ahead of Midterm Elections
Ray Suarez sits down with Daniel Byman, a counterterrorism expert and author of Spreading Hate: The Global Rise of White Supremacist Terrorism, to discuss the roots of the global white power movement, how extremism...
Cuba Revisited: From Cold War to Normalization – and Back Again
In this week’s episode, we explore the deep roots of Cuban internationalism…and its impact on everyday Cubans. We begin with historian William Kelly, who charts Cuba’s little-known history of solidarity with...
What Brittney Griner’s Detention Can Teach Us About Putin’s War
This episode, ESPN investigative reporter TJ Quinn and hostage expert Dani Gilbert join Ray to discuss how state-endorsed hostage-taking creates leverage for autocrats—like Putin—upends American diplomatic norms, and...
Ambassador Michael McFaul on Putin’s “Failed” War
Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul and Ray Suarez explore what we can expect from the war in Ukraine in the coming weeks and – perhaps – months, and how it’s impacting Russia’s international standing.
Cryptomania: How Cryptocurrency Can Save—or Destabilize—a Country
Ray Suarez takes a deep dive into the global world of cryptocurrency — from Kazakhstan to Ukraine.
Boris Out, Liz In: The Global Impact of the British Election
Ronan McCrea joins Ray Suarez to break down the global implications of new British leadership. Then, we travel to Northern Ireland, where the fate of a Brexit protocol – and the precarious peace between north and south...
Feeding 7.9 Billion…Without Wrecking the Planet
On this week’s episode, we hear from two experts with competing visions of how we can sustainably feed a growing planet. Ray Suarez is joined by Raj Patel and Robert Paarlberg on a journey through the inequities and...
“The Code of the Warrior” and Ethics on the Modern Battlefield
Shannon French, Inamori Professor in Ethics at Case Western Reserve University, joins Ray Suarez to chart the ever-evolving field of military ethics and its central role in keeping both civilians and soldiers safe.
Dr. Atul Gawande’s Prescription for COVID and Aging: What Can We Learn?
In this episode, Dr. Gawande and Ray Suarez discuss taking public health work to the global stage, and the immense challenges that lie ahead.
Price Shock: The World Economy, Upside Down
In this episode, we revisit a conversation with filmmaker Rupert Russell about his book and film, “Price Wars: How the Commodities Markets Made Our Chaotic World.
The Age of Disasters and the Future of Crisis Management
Ray Suarez speaks with "The Devil Never Sleeps" author, Juliette Kayyem, about what global communities can do to prepare before disaster strikes close to home.
NATO’s Past, Present & Future
Ray Suarez sits down with Ivo Daalder, former US Ambassador to NATO, to discuss the alliance’s evolution, the Russian “wake-up call” that placed it back in the news, and the future–and feasibility–of...
A Shadow Immigration System to Keep Migrants Out of Europe
KQED senior editor Rachael Myrow speaks with Sally Hayden, an Irish investigative journalist, about a shadowy immigration system funded by the E.U. which captures and imprisons North African migrants before they ever...
