Brussels Sprouts

The Trade and Technology Council, with Tyson Barker and Frances Burwell

What are the key takeaways from the first meeting of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council? Tyson Barker and Frances Burwell join Carisa Nietsche and Jim Townsend to discuss the goals of the TTC and how it fits into the broader transatlantic technology relationship.
Tyson Barker is head of the Technology and Global Affairs at the German Council on Foreign Relations, or DGAP. He previously worked at Aspen Germany where, as deputy executive director and fellow, he was responsible for the institute’s digital and transatlantic programs.
Frances G. Burwell is a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council and a senior director at McLarty Associates. Her work focuses on the European Union and U.S.-EU relations as well as a range of transatlantic economic, political, and defense issues.

The Czech Elections, with Martin Hála and Martina Hrvolova

What do the recent elections in the Czech Republic mean for the future of the country? Martin Hála and Martina Hrvolova join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the fate of incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, the key factors that decided the elections, and the significance of the vote for democracy in Central Europe more broadly.
Martina Hrvolova is a Visiting Fellow for Democracy Initiatives at the German Marshall Fund. She is an expert on Central and Eastern Europe, human rights, and democracy, and she has more than 15 years of extensive experience with high-stake negotiations, policymaking, and program management.
Martin Hála is a sinologist and lecturer with Charles University in Prague, and the founder and director of Sinopsis, a project that provides analysis of China-related topics in Europe. He has studied in Prague, Shanghai, Berkeley, and Harvard, taught in Prague and Bratislava and led projects in various countries in Asia.

Germany’s Post-Merkel Foreign and Security Policy, with Sophia Besch and Jana Puglierin

What do the recent elections in Germany mean for the country’s foreign and security policy going forward? Sophia Besch and Jana Puglierin join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the different potential coalition options, the likelihood of continuity with the policies of Angel Merkel, and the future of German relations with Europe, the U.S., and China.
Sophia Besch is a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform. She works on European defense issues, with a focus on EU Common Defense and Security Policy, European defense industry co-operation, NATO and German foreign and defense policy. Sophia also hosts the CER podcast.
Jana Puglierin is the head of the Berlin office and a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. She directs ECFR’s Re:shape Global Europe project, which seeks to develop new strategies for Europeans to understand and engage with the changing international order. Jana has also advised the German Bundestag as an expert on arms control and non-proliferation.

AUKUS and the Future of Transatlantic Relations, with Thomas Wright and Benjamin Haddad

What is the significance of the recent AUKUS deal for transatlantic relations? Thomas Wright and Benjamin Haddad join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the French reaction to the agreement, how it fits within broader trends of divergence between the U.S. and Europe, and how Europe might respond to a U.S. that is increasingly focused on the Indo-Pacific.
Thomas Wright is the director of the Center on the United States and Europe and a senior fellow in the Project on International Order and Strategy at the Brookings Institution. At Brookings, Wright works on U.S. foreign policy, great power competition, the European Union, Brexit, and economic interdependence. He is the author of two books, including the recently published "Aftershocks: Pandemic Politics and the End of the Old International Order.”
Benjamin Haddad is the senior director of the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council. He is an expert in European politics and transatlantic relations. His work has notably advocated for transatlantic unity in the face of Russian aggression, greater European responsibility, and investment on strategic matters. His recent book “Paradise Lost: Europe in the World of Trump” makes the case for greater European unity in a world of new challenges and threats.

Crackdown Ahead of Duma Elections, with Russian Opposition Member Dmitry Gudkov and Maria Snegovaya

What does the Kremlin’s crackdown ahead of the recent Duma elections tell us about the current domestic political situation in Russia? Russian opposition leader Dmitri Gudkov and Maria Snegovaya, post-doctoral fellow in political science at Virginia Tech University, join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss how the shrinking space for civil society in Russia demonstrates Vladimir Putin’s tightening grip over the country.
Dmitri Gudkov is a Russian opposition politician and a former deputy for A Just Russia, from which he was expelled after being elected to the Opposition Coordination Council. In 2014, he was one of the four deputies that did not approve the annexation of Crimea. In the beginning of 2021, he announced that he intended to run for the Russian parliament again, but he was prohibited from doing so.
Maria Snegovaya is a post-doctoral fellow in political science at Virginia Tech University and a visiting scholar at the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at George Washington University. Her research interests include party politics and political behavior, as well as Russia’s domestic and foreign policy.

The Ongoing Crisis in Belarus, with David Kramer and Brian Whitmore

What does the evolving political situation in Belarus mean for U.S. and European interests? Brian Whitmore and David Kramer join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss how President Lukashenko has cracked down on civil society during the last year as well as the implications of tightening relations between Minsk and Moscow.
Brian Whitmore is a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, an Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Texas-Arlington’s McDowell Center for Global Studies, and host of The Power Vertical Podcast.
David J. Kramer is Senior Fellow in the Vaclav Havel Program for Human Rights & Diplomacy and Director for European and Eurasian Studies at Florida International University’s Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs. Previously, Kramer served as president of Freedom House, and he has also worked at the McCain Institute and the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

The Afghanistan Withdrawal and Transatlantic Relations, with Ulrike Franke & Giovanna De Maio

What is the significance of the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal for the future of transatlantic relations? Ulrike Franke and Giovanna De Maio join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss how Europeans have reacted to the withdrawal and whether it may give new impetus to efforts for strategic autonomy.
Dr. Ulrike Franke is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). She leads ECFR’s Technology and European Power initiative. Her areas of focus include German and European security and defense, the future of warfare, and the impact of new technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence on geopolitics and warfare.
Dr. Giovanna De Maio is a nonresident fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution and a visiting fellow with George Washington University’s Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies. She has a background in West-Russia relations and international security and focuses her research on transatlantic political and security relations.

President Zelensky’s White House Visit, with Melinda Haring and Amb. Alexander Vershbow

What does Ukrainian President Zelensky’s White House visit tell us about the state of US-Ukrainian relations? Melinda Haring and Ambassador Alexander Vershbow join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the key issues in the relationship as well as how the US and Europe should shape their policy toward Ukraine in the future.
Melinda Haring is the deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. Previously, she was the editor of the Atlantic Council’s popular publication, the Ukraine Alert blog. Haring has also worked for Eurasia Foundation, Freedom House, and the National Democratic Institute, where she managed democracy assistance programs in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia.
Ambassador Alexander “Sandy” Vershbow is a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and Eurasia Center. Ambassador Vershbow was the deputy secretary general of NATO from February 2012 to October 2016. Prior to his post at NATO, Ambassador Vershbow served for three years as the US assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.

Forging a Transatlantic Approach to China (Part 2), with Mikko Huotari and Marietje Schaake

How can the transatlantic partners bolster their economic security and effectively compete for tech leadership vis-à-vis China? Mikko Huotari and Marietje Schaake join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the current state of U.S.-European alignment in their approaches to China in the economic and technological realms.
Mikko Huotari is the ExecutiveDirector of the Mercator Institute for China Studies. His research focuses on China’s foreign policy, China-Europe relations and global economic governance and competition. He has published on China’s rise as a financial power, trade and investment relations with Europe as well as on geopolitical shifts related to China's emergence as a global security actor.
Marietje Schaake is the international policy director at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center and international policy fellow at Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. Between 2009 and 2019, Marietje served as a Member of European Parliament for the Dutch liberal democratic party where she focused on trade, foreign affairs and technology policies.

Forging a Transatlantic Approach to China (Part 1), with Ambassador Boris Ruge and Bonnie Glaser

To what extent do the United States and Europe share a common approach to China? Boris Ruge and Bonnie Glaser join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the current state of transatlantic coordination on China policy and how the U.S. and Europe can work together on this front going forward. Ambassador Boris Ruge is currently the Vice-Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, a role which he has held since August 2019. He previously served as Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Foreign Office in Berlin, as German Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and as Deputy Ambassador to the U.S. Bonnie Glaser is director of the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. She was previously senior adviser for Asia and the director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Ms. Glaser is also a nonresident fellow with the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Australia, and a senior associate with the Pacific Forum.