Nick
Co-Host of The Slavic Connexion
Nicholas Pierce is a native-born Texan, completing a M.A. in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. His academic focus is on the Russian language and Russian history, at the moment focusing on the Russian Empire and processes of internal colonization in comparison to the American frontier experience. This semester he also had the opportunity to work on a project revolving around historical narratives of disinformation within the Global Disinformation Lab at UT. In the future, he hopes to further explore the legacy of Russian imperial ideology and the center-periphery relationship in the Russian context.
Nick has hosted seven Episodes.
-
Through American Eyes: Citizen Diplomacy and the Post-Soviet Market Economy
April 14th, 2024 | Season 6 | 51 mins 10 secs
business, culture, modern history, politics, russia
On this episode, returning guest Daniel Satinsky, attorney and business consultant, shares about his new book, which tells the story of American participation in the dismantling of the Soviet economy and the creation of the Russian market economy in the 1990s. Creating the Post-Soviet Russian Market Economy: Through American Eyes is based on more than 100 interviews with citizen diplomats, entrepreneurs, bankers, consultants, and aid program administrators active in Russia in those years.
-
"Atomic Steppe": The Soviet Nuclear Legacy and the Global Arms Race
January 14th, 2024 | Season 6 | 36 mins 19 secs
culture, history, kazakhstan, race, soviet union, ukraine, war
On this episode, Dr. Togzhan Kassenova joined Taylor and Nick for a conversation about the destructive impact of Soviet nuclear testing in Kazakhstan and the figurative fallout of the dissolution of the USSR which resulted in Russia providing security guarantees to "divorced" states in exchange for the surrender of Soviet weapons of mass destruction. Thanks for listening!
-
Ballistics and Ballots: The Ukraine War in 2024 and Beyond with Michael Kofman
January 4th, 2024 | Season 6 | 34 mins 27 secs
conflict, politics, strategy, ukraine russia war
On this first episode of 2024, we reflect on the War in Ukraine and Ukraine's prospects for continued political and military support in 2024 and beyond with Carnegie Endowment's senior fellow and renowned military analyst Michael Kofman.
-
The (Grass)roots of Illiberalism: Contemporary Authoritarianism, Identity Projects, & Culture Wars in Europe
November 25th, 2023 | Season 6 | 46 mins 24 secs
culture, dictators, france, gender politics, history, language, poland, race, russia
In this episode, Nick and Eliza talk with widely respected historian and sociologist Marlène Laruelle about the concept of illiberalism and its spread across Eastern and Central Europe. Dr. Laruelle explains how she frames the relatively new term as a cluster of ideologies that is challenging liberalism in its various forms. Thanks for listening!
-
Bravehearts: The Real Story of the Chechens' Unending Fight for Independence (#Connexions speaker series)
November 15th, 2023 | Season 6 | 55 mins 26 secs
On this episode, Dr. Michael Dennis, a leading expert on the Chechen Republic, tells the multifaceted story of the Chechen fight for independence, including the consequences of the Chechen Wars, the rise of the Kadyrov family, lessons learned by the Russian Army, impacts on the Putin regime's decision-making in crises, and Chechnya's role in Ukraine. Dr. Dennis also talks about the future of the North Caucasus and the different actors' stakes in this fraught region. Thanks for listening!
-
On the Wings of Russian Propaganda: Slovakia and the Decline of Democracy in Central Europe
October 19th, 2023 | Season 6 | 34 mins 28 secs
On this episode, Slovakian politician and academic Martin Klus talks with us during a trip to Texas about the state of the Slovak Republic following the recent elections favoring a more Russia-friendly government, which will have negative implications for the EU, NATO, and especially its neighbor to the east, Ukraine.
-
There's No Business Like War Business: Prigozhin, Putin, and Weakening Partnerships
September 17th, 2023 | Season 6 | 39 mins 32 secs
business, china, conflict, international relations, politics, ukraine russia war
On this episode, Mark McNamee, political, economic, and intelligence analyst, talks with host Nick about a range of topics pertaining to Russia's War in Ukraine: from the late Prizoghin's mutiny to China's and Russia's relationship rooted largely in an anti-Western agenda and what this means for the continuing conflict. Thanks for listening!