While at the 16th Annual Sakharov conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, I had the fortunate opportunity to do a couple interviews for Lithuanian news outlets, wherein we talked about Putin’s war on Ukraine, populism in the U.S. and Europe, as well as my book, The Dark Charisma of Donald Trump: Political Psychology and the MAGA Movement. These two interviews turned into numerous news articles. The links to the articles are below (All in Lithuanian).
I had the great opportunity to participate in the Sixteenth International Sakharov Conference in Vilnius Lithuania, on May 21-22. Organized by Robert van Voren, this conference brought together activists, NGOs, diplomats, dissidents, academics, and other government officials, to discuss the ongoing rise of authoritarianism, especially in the West, as well as the war of aggression launched by Vladimir Putin against Ukraine. With the subject title, “Fifty years after the founding of the Helsinki Movement,” we discussed the democratic dissident movement that fought for human rights during the Soviet period. My discussion of the psycho-dynamics of Trump’s authoritarianism came under the section on “The Current Political Climate.” I was joined on stage by Janet Anderson (UK), George Kent (USA), Margarita Å eÅ¡elgytÄ— (Lithuania), Hans Brask (Denmark), and Helmer Krane (Germany). We had a wonderful meet-and-greet at the Norwegian embassy in Vilnius; we watched the film, “To the Success of our Hopeless Cause,” about dissidents during the Soviet period at the Czech Embassy in Vilnius, and heard an amazing concert by Alexey Botvinov (Odesa, Ukraine) in memory of Semyon Gluzman, who recently passed away. For all intents and purposes, Gluzman was a force to be reckoned with, as was well displayed by those who attended the conference who knew and loved him. His spirit was with us even though his physical presence was not. Overall, this was an amazing opportunity and experience and I thank Robert van Voren for inviting me to participate. I hope my meager contribution was meaningful.
While in Vilnius, I did two media interviews on top of the one I already did while I was in Rome. Here’s the first of three (In Lithuanian): Trump is a Psychopath.
During my free time, I explored The Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, located inside of the former KGB building in Vilnius. The prison cells in the basement were disturbing, as was the execution room, where thousands of dissidents were murdered. I also visited the Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus of Vilnius, the main Catholic Cathedral in Vilnius. I also explored the history of Vilnius and Lithuanian Christianity with the tour of the Basilica’s catacombs. Vilnius is a beautiful city, and its solidarity with the Ukrainian cause is admirable. Ukrainian flags were seen throughout the city, as its own memory of occupation by the Soviet Union is invoked with each missile Putin launches into Ukraine.
On April 18, 2026, I had the wonderful opportunity to join the PAGMANGNO series of seminars held by the Philosophy Circle of the Philippines – Legazpi Chapter. In its 20th iteration, PAGMANGNO XX adopted the theme, “Philosophy in the Time of Authoritarian Regimes,” highlighting the importance of philosophy in times where actions and thoughts are being suppressed. I would like to thank my dear brother Hadje Cresencio Sadje who initiated the invitation, as well as the amazing students who had excellent questions.
dustinjbyrd
Dustin J. Byrd, Ph.D. 