Paul and Luca explain

About Paul and Luca explain

Two storytellers who have spent 40 years combined in NATO HQ, the EU and the UN decode the news and tell it how they see it, along with guest expert each week. All with a sprinkling of stories…

Publisher

Paul and Luca

Category

news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Aug 2026

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 7 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026

   Ai at war: can humans stay in control ?

   AI, Cyber Warfare, and the Future of Human ControlAI is no longer just a tool—it’s becoming a new layer of warfare, influence, and decision-making, and Laura Galante says most people are still underestimating how fast the shift is happening. If you care about national security, cyber risk, AI safety, or who gets to control the systems shaping public life, this conversation will change how you think about the next few years.Laura Galante, a longtime cyber and national security expert, traces the path from early Russian information operations to today’s AI-driven battlefield. She explains why the biggest danger is not science fiction-style sentient machines, but systems that can coordinate, adapt, and make unpredictable choices faster than humans can fully understand.In this episode, you’ll hear how AI is already changing warfare through drones, targeting, command and control, and real-time battlefield feedback loops. Laura breaks down the “Hugging Face” agent incident, why it alarmed researchers, and what it reveals about AI agents learning coordination patterns that look eerily human.The conversation also explores the difficult questions around disinformation, trusted authority, and whether humans can realistically stay “in the loop” when speed becomes the deciding factor.We also get into the less visible—but possibly more dangerous—side of the story: data. Laura explains why data is now as strategically important as weapons, why telecommunications networks and private infrastructure are prime targets, and how a single bad software update can ripple across airlines, hospitals, and banks in hours. That concentration risk, she warns, may be one of the most underestimated threats in modern systems.If you’re wondering whether AI regulation can keep up, whether governments should be trusted with this power, or what should remain firmly human, this episode offers a clear-eyed, unsettling, and surprisingly hopeful framework.Essential listening for anyone trying to understand the real stakes of AI, cyber conflict, and the future of human control.Guest: Laura GalanteLaura Galante is a cyber and national security expert with deep experience in the U.S. intelligence community and Defense Intelligence Agency. Her work focuses on nation-state threats, critical infrastructure, and the intersection of AI, cyber operations, and modern warfare.#AI #CyberSecurity #CyberWarfare #NationalSecurity #ArtificialIntelligence #Disinformation #FutureOfWar

2. 

   26 Aug 2026

   American overthrow?

   Is Russia trying to reshape America from within? Keir Giles — one of the leading specialists on Russia, cyber warfare and information operations — joins us to discuss the escalating confrontation between Russia and the West, and the central argument behind his forthcoming new book, American Overthrow: Moscow’s Endgame in Its Long War with Washington. Giles is an Associate Fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House and leads the Conflict Studies Research Centre. He has spent decades studying Russian military strategy, cyber conflict, disinformation and Moscow’s confrontation with the West, and is also the author of Russia’s War on Everybody and Moscow Rules. (Chatham House⁠) In this episode, we ask a provocative question: what if Russia’s most important victories against the United States are not taking place on the battlefield at all? Russia’s war is not confined to Ukraine. Giles explains how Moscow’s confrontation with the West reaches into US politics, democratic institutions, information systems, cyber networks and the political divisions within Western societies. We explore Russia’s strategy against the United States and NATO, why Moscow’s ambitions extend far beyond Ukraine, and how the Kremlin uses cyber attacks, disinformation, sabotage, political influence and economic power as instruments of modern conflict. We also examine one of the most consequential questions facing the West today: could political change inside the United States deliver Russia strategic victories that it could never achieve militarily? The conversation looks at Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, competing approaches to power, changing US foreign policy, spheres of influence and what a more inward-looking America could mean for Ukraine, NATO and European security. We discuss: • Why Russia’s ambitions extend beyond Ukraine • Moscow’s long confrontation with the United States and the West • Keir Giles’ new book American Overthrow • Putin’s long-term geopolitical objectives • Russia’s cyber warfare and information operations • Disinformation, sabotage and political influence • How foreign powers exploit genuine divisions inside democratic societies • US politics and the future of American global leadership • Trump, Putin and different approaches to political power • Whether American institutions can be weakened from within • Russia’s oligarchic system and modern “feudalism” • NATO’s biggest strategic vulnerabilities • What Ukraine is teaching NATO about modern warfare • Drone warfare and counter-drone technology • Military leadership and political purges in Russia • What Western governments continue to misunderstand about Putin • Whether Russia can already claim strategic success • What the United States and NATO should do next Giles argues that understanding Russia means looking beyond individual battles in Ukraine and asking a much bigger question: What would victory actually look like from Moscow’s perspective? If Russia can weaken Western unity, undermine confidence in democratic institutions, reduce American commitment to NATO and Ukraine, and convince Western populations that resistance is futile, then Moscow may not need to defeat the West in a conventional war. As Giles puts it: “Russia’s ambitions extend beyond Ukraine.” “Russia’s war on everybody affects us all.” And perhaps most strikingly: “Success for Russia is now within reach.” 📖 Keir Giles’ new book, American Overthrow: Moscow’s Endgame in Its Long War with Washington, is forthcoming in September 2026. If you follow Russia, Ukraine, NATO, Putin, Donald Trump, US politics, cyber warfare, disinformation, defence, national security or geopolitics, subscribe for more long-form conversations with leading experts and decision-makers. Do you think Russia’s greatest opportunity today lies on the battlefield in Ukraine — or inside the politics of the West? #AmericanOverthrow #Russia #Ukraine #NATO #Putin

3. 

   22 Aug 2026

   The dirty game: Inside football's global corruption

   Football corruption is no longer about a brown envelope in a dressing room. It’s a multi-billion-dollar machine powered by global gambling, weak oversight and human frailty.In this episode, investigative reporter and match-fixing expert Declan Hill reveals why corruption in football is more sophisticated — and potentially more dangerous — than most fans realise, and why even VAR, cameras and goal-line technology can’t fully protect the game.Hill joins Paul King and Luca Fazzuoli for a deep dive into the hidden mechanics of match fixing and the global betting markets that make it possible. Paul challenges the tension between the enormous growth of sports betting and the increased transparency of the modern game, while Luca looks at football corruption through the lens of Italy’s long history of scandal — and asks an uncomfortable question: has football actually become more vulnerable to corruption, not less?In this episode:• How modern match fixers exploit a globalised betting market worth far more than the sport itself• Why corruption often happens away from the obvious moment on the pitch• The crucial difference between fixing a football match and fixing a gambling market• How organised crime, referees, players, club officials and betting syndicates can become part of the same ecosystem• Why FIFA, WADA and other governing bodies may be structurally incapable of policing themselves• How fixers assess the reliability of a manipulated match using a “star system”• Why low-paid and financially vulnerable players can become prime targets• Why some of football’s biggest corruption scandals may be the ones the public never hears aboutHill breaks down how match fixing actually works: who approaches whom, where the money comes from, how bets are placed across international markets and why detecting manipulation can be extraordinarily difficult.But this conversation goes beyond football. From the NCAA and NBA to doping scandals in athletics, it explores the broader logic of corruption in modern sport — and the institutional silence that can protect powerful organisations.If you care about the future of football, the integrity of sport, or how organised crime is adapting to the digital age, this is essential viewing.Can the beautiful game still be protected — or has the business surrounding football become too big to police?#Football #DeclanHill #MatchFixing #FootballCorruption #SportsBetting #FIFA #OrganisedCrime #InvestigativeJournalism

4. 

   6 Aug 2026

   Frozen Frontiers: The Battle for the High North

   The Arctic is no longer just a remote wilderness of ice and snow—it is becoming one of the world’s most important geopolitical battlegrounds. As climate change opens new shipping routes and access to vast natural resources, competition between Russia, NATO and China is accelerating. Military bases are expanding, strategic infrastructure is growing, and the High North is rapidly becoming a key theatre for global security. In this episode, former NATO insiders Luca Fazzuoli and Paul King are joined by Erlingur Erlingsson, Arctic security expert and former Icelandic diplomat, to explain why the Arctic could shape the future of international security. Together they explore:• Why the Arctic matters more than ever.• Russia’s military build-up in the High North.• China’s ambitions in a region where it has no Arctic territory.• NATO’s evolving strategy and the role of Arctic allies.• The race for shipping routes, critical minerals and energy.• How emerging technologies—from satellites to drones—are changing Arctic defence. If you want to understand where the next chapter of global strategic competition is unfolding, this conversation is essential viewing.

5. 

   3 Aug 2026

   Is NATO Ready for What’s Next?

   Two former NATO insiders. One candid conversation. Fresh from the Ankara Summit, we pull back the curtain on the decisions, the politics, and the future of the world’s most important military alliance. No scripts. No talking points. Just an honest discussion.

6. 

   3 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Next Battlefield: Energy

   The transition to renewable energy is transforming more than the world’s energy systems—it is reshaping security, economic influence and international relations. In this episode, Paul King and Luca Fazzuoli are joined by Bruce Douglas, CEO of the Renewables Global Alliance, to discuss how clean energy, critical minerals and new technologies are changing the global balance of power and what this means for governments, businesses and international stability.

7. 

   3 Aug 2026

   The Ukraine War: An Insider’s Perspective

   The fighting is only part of the story. Together with Ukrainian expert Volodymyr Dubovyk, Paul King and Luca Fazzuoli explore the political, military and human dimensions of the war, discussing where the conflict is heading and what it means for global security. Drawing on our experience inside NATO, we aim to provide context that goes beyond the daily headlines.

Inside a recent episode

The Next Battlefield: Energy

Published 3 Aug 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] But also on the generic topic of energy security, what Hormuz has exposed is the dramatic dependence on fossil fuels. So insecure, unreliable energy source, which also has high and volatile pricing. I can tell you exactly what the price of the wind energy will be for a project in 15 years' time. […]

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