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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

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

In the News

Nov 20, 2017

Ullman in UPI: Vladimir Putin’s Playbook for Disrupting the West

By Harlan Ullman

Read the full article here.

Russia

Issue Brief

Nov 20, 2017

Partners or competitors? The future of the Iran-Russia power tandem in the Middle East

By John Herbst

Ambassador John Herbst, director of the Atlantic Council’s Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center, writes in a new issue brief entitled Partners or Competitors? The Future of the Iran-Russia Power Tandem in the Middle East that Russia and Iran are currently drawn into partnership over common regional interests and anti-American policies and sentiments despite centuries of historical […]

Iran Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Nov 17, 2017

Long History and Long Border with Russia Make Finland the Perfect ‘Hybrid’ Hub

By Teri Schultz

The new European Center of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (CoE) in Helsinki is, according to US Secretary of Defense James Mattis, an “institution fit for our times.” With membership from eleven European Union (EU) nations and the United States, the CoE is one of the most tangible examples of the pledge by NATO and […]

European Union International Organizations

In the News

Nov 16, 2017

Bechev in The American Interest: Russia and Turkey: Back to Normal?

By Dimitar Bechev

Read the full article here.

Russia Turkey

Experts