Hinterlands

My conversation with Hannah Lucinda Smith

I was lucky enough to have a fascinating discussion with Hannah Lucinda Smith, former Times correspondent in Turkey and an expert on Southeastern Europe. We spoke about her new book Hinterlands which comes out today, 4 June. It’s a really fascinating story about strange territories across Europe that aren’t quite countries and are in most cases on the periphery of what Russia sees as its sphere of influence. But it’s about much more than that: how these territories are a proxy and an indicator of what has been going wrong in diplomatic affairs and the breakdown of international norms. It’s a really engaging book, but don’t take my word for it, have a listen to Hannah.