Tom
Co-Host of The Slavic Connexion
Tom is wrapping up a dual Master’s in Russian Studies and Global Policy at UT Austin. He is concentrating on the strategic interaction between global powers, with a focus on the future relationship between the United States and Russia. Tom’s attraction to cybersecurity buds from the growing use of non-military levers to conduct geo-political warfare, a strategy assumed to proliferate in the coming years. Tom graduated from Bowdoin College in 2016 with a degree in history. He spends way too much of his time on The Slavic Connexion but as one of the co-creators, how can he not?
Tom has hosted 47 Episodes.
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The Future is Viral: Putin, Petroleum, and the Pandemic
March 12th, 2020 | Season 2 | 42 mins 33 secs
covid-19, global economy, pandemic, politics, russia
On this episode, Tom and Matt are joined by returning guest Graham Reblitz to delve into the meaty headlines of the day: Russian politics, the conflict between Russia and Saudi Arabia over oil, and the WHO-declared pandemic that is sweeping the globe.
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A Little Bit Cosmopolitan (with Graham Reblitz)
February 23rd, 2020 | Season 2 | 25 mins 35 secs
europe, geopolitics, international affairs, nationalism, sports, students
On this episode, we have the pleasure of getting to know the president of UT's International Affairs Society, Graham Reblitz, who brings his broad, cosmopolitan perspective to our studio and discussing everything from geopolitics in Europe to sports on the international plane.
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Bridging the Gap: From Campus to Career (with Tom and Tracy)
February 1st, 2020 | Season 2 | 1 hr 4 mins
alumni, careers, intelligence, life after grad school, security
In this episode, Tom and Tracy team up to talk with three former CREEES / LBJ dual degree grad students who are successfully applying their classroom experience to the real world in very big ways. If you're a student eyeing that scary drop-off after graduation, then this episode is totally for you!
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Albania Mania: Football to Rap to Racism with Cultural Anthropologist Chelsi West Ohueri
January 11th, 2020 | Season 1 | 45 mins 54 secs
african american anthropologists, albania, albanian football, balkans, cultural exchange, journeying to foreign countries, racism, sexism
In this entertaining interview, host Tom sits down with cultural anthropologist Dr. West Ohueri to discuss all things Albania with special focus on her journey as an African-American woman into a white environment. We're sure you'll enjoy!
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A Very Venezuelan Connexion: Cold War, Foreign Investment, and Oil Culture
December 2nd, 2019 | Season 2 | 49 mins 19 secs
cold war, economy, oil trade, venezuela
As Winter claims the Slavic world (much of it anyway), we thought we'd take a trip south of the equator with this episode on Venezuela with yet another special guest from the History department Latin American expert Marcus Golding. Maybe Tom will expertly find a way to bring us back to home base... or not. Thanks for listening!
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London Fog: Brexit and the Dubious Future of the EU
November 14th, 2019 | Season 2 | 57 mins 16 secs
brexit, british politics, climate change security, election, european politics, european union, security policy, ukraine
With the UK's December 12th vote fogging the European horizon, Tom and Matt invited two of our favorite EU experts, Lorinc Redei and Michael Mosser, to speak about current affairs and what the future may hold.
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Kyrgyzstan: Progressive Media, Human Rights, and the Power of Journalism (with Tom and Matt)
November 7th, 2019 | Season 2 | 47 mins
central asian journalists, media, state department exchange program
On this episode, Tom and Matt talk with two fantastic media professionals from Kyrgyzstan who are wrapping up their month-long stay in the U.S. as part of a State Department exchange program for Central Asian journalists.
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ROCK THE USSR (with Tom Garza)
October 28th, 2019 | Season 2 | 1 hr 10 mins
music, russian music history, russian rock, soviet history, subculture
Returning to the studio, Tom Garza switches rapiers from vampire vanquisher to Russian Rockophile, taking us from the years prior to the fall of the USSR to today itself. And this is not just an academic subject for him - it's his lived experience. (Featuring snippets with legendary music critic Artemy Troitsky!)
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"The American Hour" with Alexander Genis
October 7th, 2019 | Season 2 | 31 mins 29 secs
american life, russian expatriates, russian literature, texas, youth culture
Literary critic, broadcaster, and writer Alexander Genis, an "absolute erudite" in the words of Seva Novgorodsev, privileges us with an interview on coming to America, his impressive career in radio, and his take on the future of Russian literature.
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Dr. X: The Reluctant Conspiratologist
September 20th, 2019 | Season 2 | 49 mins 55 secs
politics, propaganda, russian literature, victor pelevin, x-files
Professor Keith Livers joins us as our expert in the world of American and Russian conspiracy. But because the subject itself is fairly distasteful to him, he necessarily gets creative in the classroom -- enter the X-Files.
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"The Colorful Revolution" Part 2 of 2
September 12th, 2019 | Season 2 | 25 mins 15 secs
albania, anticorruption movements, bulgaria, corruption, elections, macedonia, mass protest, political unrest, social democratic party
Part 2 of "The Colorful Revolution" with Aleksej Demjanski...
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Season 2 Begins: "The Colorful Revolution" (Part 1)
September 9th, 2019 | Season 2 | 25 mins 13 secs
albania, bulgaria, corruption, elections, macedonia, mass protest, political unrest
Welcome to Season 2! To kick us off we have with us in the studio Fulbright-er (that's a word, right?) Aleksej Demjanski. Aleksej brings the riveting tales of protest movements in Southeast Europe to the microphone...
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"Vampires of Serendipity" with Tom Garza
August 14th, 2019 | Season 1 | 42 mins 45 secs
american professors studying russian, language learning, russia, serendipity, soviet union, vampires
Legendary Texas professor Dr. Thomas Garza brings his experience in the Soviet Union to the studio, reminiscing with Tom and Matt about why he became so invested in Russia and (yes!) vampires. The key concept of this episode is serendipity, and Dr. Garza brings real meaning to this SAT vocabulary word.
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"The Continuity of Everything..." with John Gleb (and Matt & Tom)
August 2nd, 2019 | Season 1 | 39 mins 56 secs
diplomacy, history of international relations, liberal internationalism, state department, wilsonian internationalism
John Gleb is back on the Tom & Matt Show to discuss his favorite topic: U.S. diplomacy. It's slightly less than Slavic, sure, but still relevant to understanding modern international relations and foreign policy.
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"This is NOT Propaganda..." with Peter Pomerantsev
June 13th, 2019 | Season 1 | 25 mins 35 secs
facebook political ad campaigns, information wars, propaganda, social media, texas
Author, journalist, and TV producer Peter Pomerantsev chats with host Tom about his impressions of Texas, his research into information wars, and his forthcoming book entitled "This is Not Propaganda".
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The Final One... of Season One
May 24th, 2019 | Season 1 | 33 mins 15 secs
end of season, reflection
We know almost everybody is disappointed with the Game of Thrones ending, and we feel your pain, but maybe this will cheer you up. Hosts Tom, Matt, Milena, and Lauren get together to reflect on our first season before they each went their separate ways for the summer.