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The Power Vertical

The Power Vertical is a blog and podcast for Russia wonks and Kremlin watchers by Brian Whitmore. It covers emerging and developing trends in Russian politics, shining a spotlight on the high-stakes power struggles, machinations, and clashing interests that shape Kremlin policy today.

Host and Eurasia Center Senior Fellow Brian Whitmore invites guest experts to deliver their insights and analysis in this weekly podcast. The Atlantic Council and the Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington co-sponsor this production.

The Russia Tomorrow series

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The Eurasia Center’s mission is to enhance transatlantic cooperation in promoting stability, democratic values and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe and Turkey in the West to the Caucasus, Russia and Central Asia in the East.

Content

Inflection Points

Nov 23, 2024

Biden’s Ukraine moves are a gift to Trump

By Frederick Kempe

The outgoing administration is “emptying the barrel,” which could improve the incoming president’s chances at negotiating a deal worth having.

Conflict Nuclear Deterrence

Uncategorized

Nov 22, 2024

Katz in The National Interest: ATACMS Missiles and Ukraine—What Will Donald Trump Do?

By Atlantic Council

Conflict Missile Defense

Econographics

Nov 22, 2024

Sanctions expectations in a second Trump administration

By Daniel Tannebaum

Sanctions are poised to remain a cornerstone of US foreign policy under a second Trump administration. With a focus on Iran, Russia, and potentially China, Trump's team may lean on tools like secondary sanctions while navigating a tense geopolitical environment.

China Economic Sanctions

In the News

Nov 22, 2024

Mezey quoted in The New York Times on Ukrainian long-range missile strikes into Russia

By Atlantic Council

On Tuesday, November 19, an excerpt from former Forward Defense Program Assistant Jacob Mezey's Issue Brief "Russian and Chinese strategic missile defense: Doctrine, capabilities, and development" was quoted by an article in The New York Times covering Ukrainian long-range missile strikes into Russia using US-made ATACMS systems.

Conflict Missile Defense

New Atlanticist

Nov 21, 2024

As Russia’s war effort heads toward a breaking point, Europe must remain steadfast

By Beniamino Irdi and Gabriele Carrer

If Western resolve holds over the next twelve to eighteen months, then the conflict’s outcome could defy the Kremlin's expectations.

Conflict European Union

New Atlanticist

Nov 21, 2024

Five questions (and expert answers) about major new US sanctions on Russia’s Gazprombank

By Atlantic Council experts

To decipher these moves, we turned to some of our top sanctions experts to reveal what’s behind the decision and what to expect next.

Economic Sanctions Russia

New Atlanticist

Nov 21, 2024

‘You cannot separate’ the ‘unholy alliance’ that is Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, warns Congressman Michael McCaul

By Katherine Golden

Ukraine is central to US interests because if Ukraine falls, it will embolden US adversaries, McCaul said at an Atlantic Council Front Page event.

China Conflict

UkraineAlert

Nov 21, 2024

Ukraine wary of Western disunity ahead of possible Russia peace talks

By Katherine Spencer

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's recent call to Vladimir Putin has sparked alarm in Kyiv and criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Ukraine seeks maximum Western unity ahead of possible Russia peace talks, writes Katherine Spencer.

Conflict European Union

Transcript

Nov 21, 2024

Congressman Michael McCaul on why a deal with Russia on Ukraine must have ‘enforcement’

McCaul addressed the threat that Russian aggression poses to US interests, highlighting Moscow’s expanding alliances with North Korea, Iran, and China.

Conflict Crisis Management

New Atlanticist

Nov 21, 2024

Suspected sabotage by a Chinese vessel in the Baltic Sea speaks to a wider threat

By Elisabeth Braw

Undersea cables and pipelines are acutely vulnerable to geopolitically motivated harm, as events of the last week have demonstrated.

China Conflict

Experts