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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

In the News

Sep 3, 2020

Preble in War on the Rocks: The Future Ain’t What It Used to Be, Net Assessment

By Atlantic Council

On the September 3 Net Assessment podcast, Christopher Preble discusses the future of US foreign policy after January 20, 2021, with Net Assessment co-hosts Melanie Marlowe and Zack Cooper. More about our expert

National Security Russia

BelarusAlert

Sep 2, 2020

Putin’s Belarus intervention could be good for business

By Vladislav Inozemtsev

Russia's escalating intervention in Belarus is driven by the Kremlin's geopolitical concerns over the spread of democracy, but economic factors are also encouraging Moscow to prop up the Lukashenka regime.

Belarus Democratic Transitions
Belarus State Media Interference

Article

Sep 2, 2020

State media English-language coverage of Belarus propagates claims of Western interference

By Jacqueline Malaret

Pro-Kremlin outlets unsuccessfully push narrative that ongoing protests are yet another “color revolution” supported by the West.

Belarus Disinformation
Pro-Kremlin Media Belarus

Article

Sep 1, 2020

Pro-Kremlin media misrepresent Belarusian opposition’s policy platform

By Roman Osadchuk

An “anti-Russian” national security reform agenda that pro-Kremlin media linked to the opposition was never part of the opposition’s official platform.

Belarus Disinformation
Pro-Lukashenka Telegram

Article

Sep 1, 2020

Pro-Lukashenka Telegram channels amplify disinformation

By Nika Aleksejeva

Telegram channels deploy anti-protester narratives to win back public support for Lukashenka.

Belarus Disinformation

BelarusAlert

Aug 30, 2020

The infowar behind the Belarus revolution

By Franak Viačorka

Belarusians have managed to outmaneuver the heavy-handed efforts of dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka to silence the protest movement, but now they must also overcome a Kremlin-run infowar.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Aug 30, 2020

Why Putin cannot allow democracy to win in Belarus

By Peter Dickinson

Vladimir Putin has announced his readiness to send Russian security forces into Belarus to prop up fellow dictator Lukashenka. This could ruin bilateral ties, but it will prevent a new post-Soviet people power triumph.

Belarus Crisis Management

In the News

Aug 28, 2020

Kroenig and Ashford discuss convention speeches, America’s foreign engagement, and how the West should respond to Belarus

By Atlantic Council

On August 28, Foreign Policy published a biweekly column featuring Scowcroft Center Deputy Director Matthew Kroenig and the Cato Institute’s Emma Ashford discussing the latest news in international affairs. In this column, they discuss the DNC and RNC speeches, what a potential President Biden’s foreign policy might look like, and what role the US should play in response […]

Belarus Elections

BelarusAlert

Aug 27, 2020

Is Putin about to make a costly mistake in Belarus?

By Steven Pifer

Vladimir Putin says Russian forces are in place and ready for deployment to Belarus to prop up dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka - but direct intervention risks turning a generation of Belarusians into enemies.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Aug 26, 2020

Belarus is a reminder that the USSR is still collapsing

By Franak Viačorka

With the emergence of an independent Belarusian national identity, we are entering a new stage in the Soviet collapse. Thirty years after the empire officially expired, the last outpost of Soviet authoritarianism in Central Europe is finally in eclipse.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

Experts

Events