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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.

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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

Feb 10, 2016

Gramer Quoted by Politico on NATO Funding and Its Presence in the Black Sea

By Robbie Gramer

Read the full article here.

NATO Russia
The geo-strategic area around Suwalki, Poland has a rich and complex history

NATOSource

Feb 9, 2016

NATO’s Vulnerable Link in Europe: Poland’s Suwalki Gap

By Agnia Grigas

The Pentagon’s decision to quadruple its 2017 budget for European defence due to the perceived threat of Russian aggression and the recent RAND report noting the difficulties NATO would have defending the Baltic States, are once again bringing to the forefront the risks on Europe’s frontier states.

Belarus NATO

UkraineAlert

Feb 9, 2016

Ukraine’s Got a Real Army Now. But Is It Preparing to Fight the Last Battle?

By Ruben Gzirian

The prolonged stalemate of Minsk II has provided the Ukrainian military ample opportunity to address a series of longstanding challenges stretching back to the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych. While it is clear that the Ukrainian military has improved since its disastrous defeat at Debaltseve in February 2015, evaluating the real effect of ongoing reforms is […]

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Feb 9, 2016

Saudi Offer to Deploy Troops to Syria ‘Turns the Tables’ on the United States

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Plan seen taking heat off Gulf Arab states over role in war on ISIS, putting onus on the United States to do more Saudi Arabia’s offer to deploy ground troops to fight the Islamic State in Syria is seen as putting pressure on the Obama administration—which has been urging its Arab Gulf partners to ramp […]

Iran Russia

UkraineAlert

Feb 9, 2016

Dutch Likely to Hand Putin a Major Symbolic Victory in Referendum on EU-Ukraine Association Agreement

By Andreas Umland

There is something odd about the upcoming Dutch plebiscite on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. On April 6, the Netherlands will hold a national referendum on a treaty between Brussels and Kyiv that was signed in 2014 and ratified in 2015. Yet, the European Union and the European Community have, during the last sixty years, concluded […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 9, 2016

Actually, No. Russia and Ukraine Are Not Equally Delinquent When It Comes to Fulfilling Minsk

By Paul Niland

One of the most startling examples of the adage “there are two sides to every story” is the difference in perceptions over the implementation of the Minsk Agreements between Ukraine and Russia. Minsk, if handled in good faith, could be the roadmap to deescalate the war in Ukraine and bring peace to the region. In […]

Russia Ukraine

In the News

Feb 9, 2016

Stein Quoted by Financial Times on Russia’s Presence in Turkey

By Aaron Stein

Read the full article here.

Russia Turkey

In the News

Feb 9, 2016

Stein Quoted by Business Insider on Russia’s Presence in Turkey

By Aaron Stein

Read the full article here.

Russia Turkey

In the News

Feb 8, 2016

Gramer in Foreign Affairs: Changing Tides

By Robbie Gramer

Read the full article here.

NATO Russia
Defense ministers at meeting of NATO-Ukraine Commission, June 25, 2015

NATOSource

Feb 8, 2016

NATO Defense Ministers to Discuss New Hybrid Warfare Playbook

By Julian E. Barnes, Wall Street Journal

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is developing a new strategy to speed decision-making and improve its response to the kind of unconventional warfare the West says Russia has used in Crimea and eastern Ukraine

European Union International Organizations

Experts