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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

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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

UkraineAlert

Nov 25, 2025

Trump’s latest Ukraine peace proposal sparks strong Republican reaction

By Doug Klain

Congress is clearly eager to help Trump force Russia to end its war in Ukraine. Capitalizing on the revised peace framework agreed by US and Ukrainian negotiators will now require action from both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue, writes Doug Klain.

Conflict
Economic Sanctions

UkraineAlert

Nov 25, 2025

Russian imperial impunity is the key obstacle to a lasting peace in Ukraine

By Kristina Hook

From Peter the Great to Stalin and Putin, generations of Russian tyrants have systematically directed violence at Ukrainians in ways that must be addressed in order to secure a lasting peace, writes Kristina Hook.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Nov 25, 2025

Strengthening Ukraine’s wartime economy can set the stage for peace

By Zahar Hryniv

The US and Europe must take steps to strengthen Ukraine’s economic resilience if they wish to convince Putin that his dreams of outlasting the West are futile and persuade Russia to begin serious peace negotiations, writes Zahar Hryniv.

Conflict
Economic Sanctions

MENASource

Nov 25, 2025

Mali is at a turning point that risks a ‘disastrous domino effect’

By Haleigh Bartos and John Chin

A JNIM seizure of power, though less likely, is possible—and threatens to turn Mali into Africa’s Afghanistan.

Africa
North & West Africa

New Atlanticist

Nov 21, 2025

The expert conversation: Separating signal from noise in Trump’s Ukraine peace plan

By John E. Herbst

The White House has increased pressure on Kyiv to accept a twenty-eight-point plan to end the war by next Thursday.

Conflict
Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

Fast Thinking

Nov 21, 2025

The good, the bad, and the ugly in the US peace plan for Ukraine 

By Atlantic Council

Our experts assess the Trump administration’s proposal for ending the war in Ukraine and what to expect next.

Conflict
Europe & Eurasia

UkraineAlert

Nov 20, 2025

Any serious Ukraine peace plan must address Putin’s imperial ambitions

By Mykola Bielieskov

The new US plan to end the war in Ukraine fails to recognize that Putin is not driven by limited political goals. He believes he is engaged in an existential struggle to revive Russia’s great power status and will never accept a compromise peace, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Nov 20, 2025

Axis of authoritarians poses mounting threat on the global information front

By William Dixon, Maksym Beznosiuk

The authoritarian axis that has taken shape since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is currently setting new standards in terms of coordinated information operations across media platforms, write William Dixon and Maksym Beznosiuk.

China
Civil Society

New Atlanticist

Nov 20, 2025

Russia’s shadow war: How the Kremlin uses sabotage to wear down Europe

By Piotr Arak

Moscow’s goal is not just to damage infrastructure but also to sow distrust inside Western societies.

Europe & Eurasia
NATO

New Atlanticist

Nov 19, 2025

Dispatch from Warsaw: How to respond as Putin ratchets up the pressure

By Daniel Fried

A suspected act of sabotage on a Polish railway line has highlighted the need for NATO countries to respond to Russian aggression.

Central Europe
Crisis Management

Experts