Eurasia Center - Atlantic Council

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our regions in focus

Ukraine

Ukraine has moved tentatively toward an open society and market economy since independence. The country has held several democratic elections but largely failed to address state control and corruption in its economy.

Russia

Russia was the dominant republic in the former Soviet Union and took tentative steps toward an open society and market economy in the 1990s. But during the early 2000s, under leader Vladimir Putin, its direction changed.

The Caucasus

Named for the mountain range between southern Russia, and northern Turkey and Iran, the Caucasus is home to the nations of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

Central Asia

The Central Asian Republics—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan—are located at the nexus of Russia, China, South Asia, and the Middle East.

Belarus

Before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian tendencies became clear, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the only leader independent Belarus has ever known, was characterized as the last dictator in Europe.

Moldova

Since its independence, Moldova has sat on the divide between East and West. The Moldovan government has moved fitfully toward an open society and market economy, while Moscow has supported separatists in the region of Transnistria.

Commentary & Analysis

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine

Working with a wide community of experts and thought-leaders, the Eurasia Center delivers cutting-edge analysis and policy recommendations.

Eurasia Center

New Atlanticist Dec 4, 2024

A winning strategy to end Russia’s war against Ukraine

More than a dozen experts from the United States and Europe share their recommendations to the incoming Trump administration about how best to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Conflict Politics & Diplomacy

Eurasia Center

UkraineAlert Jul 22, 2024

Andriy Yermak: Ukraine and NATO are restoring Europe’s security architecture

By Andriy Yermak

Together with the country’s allies, Ukraine has set out on the path to restore the European security architecture, writes the head of Ukraine’s Office of the President Andriy Yermak.

Conflict Defense Industry

Flagship publications

UkraineAlert

UkraineAlert is a comprehensive online publication that provides regular news and analysis on developments in Ukraine’s politics, economy, civil society, and culture. UkraineAlert sources analysis and commentary from a wide-array of thought-leaders, politicians, experts, and activists from Ukraine and the global community. UkraineAlert has become a major publication in Ukraine’s news landscape and has established itself not only through its quality of content but also significant partnerships with English, Ukrainian, and Russian-language media through the country.

Russia Tomorrow

The Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center’s pathbreaking Russia Tomorrow series aims to reevaluate conceptions of Russia today and better prepare for its future tomorrow. Through a series of succinct, accessible policy papers, Russia Tomorrow’s expert authors address potential scenarios for Russia’s future, Putin’s web of confidants, the “kremligarch'” infiltration of the West, and much more. Led by Eurasia Center Senior Director John Herbst and nonresident senior fellow Brian Whitmore, Russia Tomorrow delivers insights and policy recommendations from leading experts to enhance our understanding of Russia.

Featured events

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dedicates his Global Citizen Award to the brave people of Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepted his Atlantic Council 2023 Global Citizen Award for leading the Ukrainian people in the fight to protect his country’s sovereignty. Zelenskyy dedicated the award to the men and women on the frontlines of the war, the teachers and doctors who kept working despite the threat of missiles, and the children who have been killed.

President Salome Zourabichvili on Georgian democracy and Russian influence

President Salome Zourabichvili joined the Atlantic Council to discuss the current political landscape in Georgia and the role Russia plays in undermining democratic processes in Europe and beyond.

The Eurasia Center regularly convenes with regional leaders and key global figures to galvanize support international support a free, prosperous, and peaceful future in Eurasia.

Leadership

Staff

John E. Herbst

Senior Director

Ukraine Politics & Diplomacy

Staff

Shelby Magid

Deputy Director

Ukraine Human Rights

Staff

Peter Dickinson

Editor, UkraineAlert

Ukraine Civil Society

Staff

Andrew D’Anieri

Associate Director

Ukraine Political Reform

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Experts

Fellow

William B. Taylor

Distinguished Fellow

English Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Tatiana Gfoeller

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Arabic Central Asia

Active affiliation

Brianne Todd

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Central Asia English

Fellow

Oksana Nechyporenko

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Civil Society Education

Fellow

Katerina Sedova

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Artificial Intelligence Eastern Europe

Staff

Katherine Spencer

Program Assistant

Central Asia Conflict

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Content

UkraineAlert

With Putin poised to invade, Zelenskyy must prioritize Ukrainian unity

By Kira Rudik

With Russian troops poised to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it is time for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to put personal rivalries to one side and unite the country's political forces, says Kira Rudik.

Conflict Corruption

UkraineAlert

Ukraine prepares to unplug from Russian electricity amid invasion fears

By Aura Sabadus

Amid mounting fears of a full-scale Russian invasion, Ukraine remains determined to proceed with a planned trial disconnection from the Russian electricity grid in order to progress towards European energy integration.

Conflict Energy Markets & Governance

New Atlanticist

For Biden, wreaking havoc on Russia’s economy is the least bad option

By Brian O’Toole, Daniel Fried, Edward Fishman

Putin is testing the West’s resolve for tough measures—which is why maximalist banking sanctions are the linchpin of an effective deterrent.

Conflict Economic Sanctions

Report

Global Strategy 2022: Thwarting Kremlin aggression today for constructive relations tomorrow

By John E. Herbst, Anders Åslund, David J. Kramer, Alexander Vershbow, and Brian Whitmore

How can the United States and its partners counter the Kremlin’s aggressive policies abroad while laying the groundwork for what could one day be a mutually beneficial relationship with a Russia that respects the rule of law and international norms?

Disinformation Eastern Europe

UkraineAlert

Still not too late for Germany to honor its commitment to Ukraine

By Eugene Czolij

Germany says a sense of "historical responsibility" over Nazi crimes prevents Berlin from adopting a firmer stand against Russia. Many in Ukraine ask why this logic does not also apply to the millions of Ukrainian WWII victims.

Conflict Economic Sanctions

BelarusAlert

Belarus emerges as key front in Putin’s war against Ukraine and the West

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

With tens of thousands of Russian troops currently deployed in Belarus, fears are mounting that the country could serve as a springboard for Vladimir Putin’s threatened full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Belarus Civil Society

UkraineAlert

US delegation: America stands with Ukraine against Russian threat

By Eurasia Center

The Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center organized a delegation to visit Kyiv on January 30-February 1 planned around a major public event organized in concert with Yalta European Strategy and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, a partner of the Eurasia Center.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Russia demands security guarantees but what Putin really wants is Ukraine

By Iulian Romanyshyn

Russian President Vladimir Putin claims to seek security guarantees and an end to NATO expansion but the crisis he has recently engineered is really all about reasserting Kremlin control over Ukraine, says Iulian Romanyshyn.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine playbook echoes the traditional tactics of Russian imperialism

By Łukasz Adamski

Putin's hybrid war against Ukraine has been portrayed as innovative but Moscow’s approach also echoes more traditional tactics from the golden age of Russian imperialism and the era of Soviet expansionism.

Conflict Disinformation

BelarusAlert

While the world watches Ukraine, Putin is quietly occupying Belarus

By Brian Whitmore

As the world watches for a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is quietly occupying neighboring Belarus and dramatically altering the Eastern European security balance in Moscow's favor.

Belarus Conflict

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