Vladislav Zubok on What the Cold War Actually Was

In this episode of the Odd Lots podcast, hosts Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway interview Vladislav Zubok, a professor at the London School of Economics, about his new book, "The World of the Cold War, 1945-1991." Zubok discusses the ideological battle between capitalism and socialism, the role of nuclear weapons, and the experiences of countries like India during the Cold War. He argues that the Cold War was fundamentally a contest between two ways of modernization and that the US-China relationship today is not a new Cold War but a geopolitical competition within the capitalist system. Zubok also touches on the role of human rights movements and the collapse of the Soviet Union, emphasizing the importance of diplomacy and avoiding a "falling domino" mentality in international relations.