Episode 44 - The Merchant of Death, Viktor Bout

Bond is no stranger to battling arms traffickers.  Goldeneye, Casino Royale, The World is Not Enough, The Living Daylights, and many more, all have Bond chasing down arms dealers.  Bond has Valentine Zurkovsky and Le Chiffre, the real world has Viktor Bout.  In a fascinating story, this episode delves into "Merchant of Death" and his humble beginnings to his rise to prominence and infamy.  Bout finds his way back into the news with the prisoner swap between the United States and Russia for bout and WNBA player Brittany Griner.  Why did Russia want Bout back so badly?  Who exactly is Viktor Bout?  Join myself and guests Bud West of The Bond Brain, Thomas Felix Creighton from Fleming Never Dies, and Jason Kim as we discuss the complexity of this story.   --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donald-waldron/support