Brussels Sprouts

The Future of Russia and China in Central Asia

Despite the many proclamations that Russian and Chinese interests would collide in Central Asia, Moscow and Beijing continue to work together in service of their shared objectives. A new report from CNAS analyzes how the relationship is shaping the region.
Read it here: Russia and China in Central Asia: Cooperate, Compete, or De-conflict?
Most importantly, Russia and China seek to keep the United States, the West, and democracy out of the region, maintain stability, and pursue economic benefits. Though fissures exist, thus far the two countries have kept tensions from derailing the broader Russia-China relationship in Central Asia. To discuss these issues and more, Reid Standish and Alex Cooley join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this episode of Brussels Sprouts. 
Reid Standish is an Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty correspondent in Prague and author of the China In Eurasia briefing.   
Alex Cooley is the Claire Tow Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University and an Academy Adjunct Faculty member at Chatham House.  

Developing the European Defense Industry

Since the war in Ukraine began, the European Union has provided substantial military support to Kyiv. Yet years of underinvestment and a lack of coordination mean that Europe’s defense industrial base has struggled to keep up with demand. While there is a renewed sense of urgency to tackle this issue, in September, NATO’s outgoing secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg warned against EU defense efforts duplicating or competing with NATO, given scarce funding and personnel. What is the role of the EU when it comes to defense issues? Does the EU have a role in supporting the development of the defense industrial base? And how can EU and NATO efforts to support Ukraine be mutually supporting rather than cut across each other? To discuss these questions and more, Benedikta von Seherr-Thoss and Max Bergmann join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on Brussels Sprouts.   
Dr Benedikta von Seherr-Thoss is the Managing Director for Peace, Security and Defence at the European External Action Service.  
Max Bergmann is the director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and the Stuart Center in Euro-Atlantic and Northern European Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).  

Russia and the Rise of BRICS

This past Tuesday, Russia hosted a high-profile summit of the BRICS group in Kazan, Russia, demonstrating its growing determination to challenge the Western-led international order. As the group has expanded its membership during the past year, it has grown to encompass nearly half of the world’s population, lending it greater credibility as a platform for reflecting an increasingly multipolar world. Yet despite this expansion, the BRICS group continues to face internal divisions. Looking ahead, how should we interpret the evolving role of the BRICS, and what does this evolution mean for policymakers in the United States and Europe? To unpack all of this and more, Alexander Gabuev joins Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Kate Johnston on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts.    
Alexander Gabuev is the Director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.  His research is focused on Russian foreign policy with particular focus on the impact of the war in Ukraine and the Sino-Russia relationship.  

What Might We Expect in Foreign Policy During a Second Trump Term?

As the 2024 presidential elections draw nearer, it’s becoming increasingly urgent to understand the potential implications for U.S. foreign policy. This week, Brussels Sprouts continues its two-part series focusing on the election by shifting focus to the foreign policy that could emerge under a Trump-Vance administration. To discuss all of this, Michael Allen and James Carafano join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Kate Johnston on this week’s episode.
Michael Allen is a managing director at Beacon Global Strategies, where he specializes in national security and foreign policy.
James Carafano is Senior Counselor to the President and E.W. Richardson Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, where he works on national security and foreign policy challenges. 

Brussels Sprouts Live: NATO in the American Heartland

NATO marked its 75th anniversary this year – a testament to the strength and continued relevance of the alliance. Celebrations have been muted however, due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and increasing concerns from Europe about US commitments to transatlantic security. The role of NATO is as crucial now as it was 75 years ago but the security threats the alliance faces are evolving, and growing in complexity.   
To discuss these issues Ambassador Anniken Huitfeldt, Mark Newton, Maria Markowska, and John Deni joined Rebecca Moore for a live episode of Brussels Sprouts at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota.  
Ambassador Anniken Huitfeldt is the Norwegian Ambassador to the USA and was previously the Norwegian Foreign Minister from 2021 to 2023.  
Mark Newton is Minister Defence (Director USA) at the British Embassy in Washington DC.  
Maria Markowska is the First Counselor and Head of the Political Section at the Polish Embassy in Washington DC.  
Dr John Deni is a Research Professor of Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental, and Multinational (JIIM) Security Studies at the U.S. Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute 
Dr Rebecca Moore is a professor of Political Science at Concordia College.  

Russia in the Middle East with Jonathan Lord and Hanna Notte

One year after the October 7 attacks by Hamas, the crisis in the Middle East has grown more and more complex. With the region teetering on the brink of broader conflict, the Biden administration is facing increasing pressure to mediate and prevent an all-out war. Meanwhile, regional dynamics are becoming more intertwined with broader geopolitics, as highlighted by Israel’s recent strike near a Russian air base in Syria. The nexus between the war in Ukraine and the Middle East crisis has also raised alarms about shifts in global alliances and resources, including concerns that Moscow may be assisting Tehran’s nuclear program amidst their deepening ties. To discuss these pressing developments and what they mean for the future of the region, Jonathan Lord and Hanna Notte join Andrea Kendall-Taylor on this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts.
Jonathan Lord is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security.
Hanna Notte is the director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and a Senior Associate in the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies.

BONUS: Europe’s Take on Economic Security with EU Ambassador to the U.S. Jovita Neliupšienė

On this special episode of Derisky Business, CNAS's economic security podcast, Ambassador Jovita Neliupšienė, the European Union's Ambassador to the United States, joins Emily Kilcrease and Geoffrey Gertz for a wide-ranging conversation on Europe's growing role as a economic statecraft power, the importance of the transatlantic alliance in addressing the strategic challenges posed by Russia and China, and why all Americans should drink champagne
Ambassador Neliupšienė recommends listeners tune in to the Trade-Off podcast about the people, politics, and power inside Europe’s trade policy, Trade-Off Podcast.
Further Reading:
EU Competitiveness: Looking Ahead (The Draghi Report)
Containing Crisis: Strategic Concepts for Coercive Economic Statecraft from CNAS
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Exploiting Russian Weakness: Moldova and Georgia at a Crossroads

Later this month, both Moldova and Georgia will hold crucial elections with the potential to profoundly shape their futures. As Russia attempts to reassert dominance along its periphery amid its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin’s actions have triggered different geopolitical reorientations in different countries across the region. Moldova and Georgia illustrate this two-directional trend—while the Georgian government has signaled more alignment with Russia, Moldova is strengthening its ties with the West. However, these shifts may not be final, and the elections this October could either cement or reverse their current trajectories. Given these stakes, Russia has already taken steps to interfere in these elections, and could employ additional coercive tactics threatening stability along NATO’s eastern border in the future. Yet this moment also presents an opportunity for the United States and European Union— while the war in Ukraine continues, the transatlantic partners can take advantage of Russia’s present weakness to rid the region of corrosive Russian influence and more firmly anchor Moldova and Georgia in the good governance, democracy, and economic prosperity that are cornerstones of the Euro- Atlantic space.
 
Laura Thornton is the senior director of global democracy programs at the McCain Institute. Prior to this, she served as senior vice president of democracy at the German Marshal Fund (GMF), and oversaw GMF’s transatlantic trusts.
 
Denis Cenusa is the European Integration Program Director at the Moldovan think tank, Expert-Grup and a lecturer at the University of Giessen.
 
Read the new report! Exploiting Russian Weakness: Leaning in to Support the Pro-Western Orientation of Moldova and Georgia
 

What Can We Expect from a Harris-Walz Foreign Policy?

As the 2024 presidential elections approach, there is increasing speculation about the potential implications for U.S foreign policy. Today on Brussels Sprouts, we will have the first discussion in a two-part series on this topic, focusing first on what we might expect from a Harris-Walz administration. In many respects, Kamala Harris’s foreign policy platform largely signals continuity from the Biden administration, including strong support for Ukraine in its war against Russia and focus on the long-term geopolitical rivalry with China. Nevertheless, there may be some areas where Harris differs significantly from Biden, such as by recalibrating the U.S. position on the Israel-Hamas war. To decipher what a Harris doctrine in foreign policy might look like, we’re very pleased to have Amy Mackinnon and Joshua Keating on the podcast today.  
Amy Mackinnon is a national security and intelligence reporter at Foreign Policy.  
Joshua Keating is a senior correspondent at Vox, where he focuses on world news and foreign policy. 

The Origins of Elected Strongmen: How Personalist Parties Destroy Democracy from Within

This week, CNAS hosted the book launch for The Origins of Elected Strongmen: How Personalist Parties Destroy Democracy from Within, a new book by Dr. Joseph Wright, Dr. Erica Frantz, and Dr. Andrea Kendall-Taylor. Moderated by Susan Glasser, this event discusses how democracies around the world are being weakened by the actions and efforts of their elected leaders, and how the rise of personalism in democratic politics has become the key culprit for democracy’s ills. Even in democratic systems, leaders are taking on outsized influence relative to the parties that support them to dismantle institutional checks on the executive, deepen political polarization, and weaken supporters’ commitment to democratic norms of behavior leading to democratic backsliding and collapse.  
 
Susan Glasser is a Staff Writer at The New Yorker, where she writes a weekly column on life in Washington, D.C. Prior to this, she served as the founding editor of POLITICO Magazine, the editor of POLITICO, and the editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy.  
Erica Frantz is an Associate Professor in Political Science at Michigan State University, where she focuses on authoritarian politics and the security and policy implications of autocratic rule.  
Joseph Wright is a Professor of Political Science at Pennsylvania State University. There, he examines how international factors influence autocratic rule and democratization.