issue spotlight

Stay updated

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS

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

recent events

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

Nov 28, 2017

Carpenter in the Hill: The United States Cannot Allow Russia to Take the Lead in Syria

By Michael Carpenter

Read the full article here.

Russia Syria

New Atlanticist

Nov 27, 2017

Why Does Vladimir Putin Care About Sudan?

By Theodore Karasik and Giorgio Cafiero

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed an interest in deepening ties between their two countries when they met in Sochi, Russia, on November 23.    Besides stating his intention to deepen Sudan’s economic and military ties with Russia, Bashir hailed Russia’s military intervention in Syria and expressed gratitude for the Kremlin’s […]

Russia

Issue Brief

Nov 27, 2017

Western options in a multipolar world

By Mathew J. Burrows

This paper examines both the possible scenarios for how the emerging multipolar world order could evolve and transatlantic options. It makes the case that, depending on how the West plays its cards, traditional Western values could end up enduring even if an exclusively Western-led order does not.

China Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Nov 24, 2017

Will President Trump Finally Arm Ukraine?

By Stephen Blank

There’s a real possibility that the United States will finally send lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine. The country has been fighting a defensive war in its east for nearly four years, after Russia seized Crimea and Russian-backed separatists invaded eastern Ukraine in 2014. Many experts have argued that better weapons would change the tactical imbalance […]

Russia Ukraine

In the News

Nov 23, 2017

Cohen in the National Interest: Russia Is Roaring Back to the Middle East While America Is Asleep

By Ariel Cohen

Read the full article here.

Russia

New Atlanticist

Nov 22, 2017

Debt Default Pushes Venezuela Further into Russian Orbit

By Rachel Ansley

Venezuela’s default on a massive international debt and Russia’s ongoing financial assistance to the South American country that is under both US and European Union (EU) sanctions, will push Caracas further into Moscow’s sphere of influence, according to an Atlantic Council analyst. “The Russians are throwing lifelines to the criminal Venezuelan regime with the intention […]

Russia Venezuela

New Atlanticist

Nov 22, 2017

Dialogue Seen as Crucial to Defusing North Korea Nuclear Crisis

By Ashish Kumar Sen

As US President Donald J. Trump grapples with the North Korean nuclear crisis, two former US officials have some words of advice: attempt dialogue before pre-emptive military strikes, and broaden the scope of that discussion to include the security needs of the region, including North Korea’s. Ernest Moniz, who served as energy secretary in Barack […]

Iran Nuclear Nonproliferation

UkraineAlert

Nov 22, 2017

It’s Never Too Late to Set the Record Straight

By Diane Francis

On November 24, 1933, the Soviet Union threw a lavish dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel for 1,500 in honor of President Franklin Roosevelt’s recognition of the Soviet Union. They feasted on fancy wines, caviar, and Boeuf Stroganoff, then later in the evening gave a standing ovation to the special guest of honor, Walter Duranty, […]

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Nov 20, 2017

The Importance of Being Angela Merkel

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Chancellor is vital for European solidarity on Russia sanctions, says Atlantic Council’s Fran Burwell If German Chancellor Angela Merkel were to step down from her role it would create uncertainty over the fate of sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its actions in Ukraine, according to Fran Burwell, a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic […]

European Union Germany

UkraineAlert

Nov 20, 2017

Moscow’s Eye Turns South

By Alina Polyakova

In November 2016, the Atlantic Council published the first volume of The Kremlin’s Trojan Horses, detailing the extent of Russian-linked political networks in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. That report has since become a guide to those seeking to understand how the Kremlin cultivates political allies in Western European countries in order to undermine […]

Greece Italy

Experts