Brussels Sprouts

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.

Autocratization in Central Europe with Dan Kelemen and Freedom House’s Zselyke Csaky

What does the deepening crisis of autocratization in Hungary and elsewhere in Central Europe mean for the future of the European Union? Dan Kelemen and Zselyke Csaky join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Carisa Nietsche to discuss the roots of the current situation and how the EU and U.S. can push back against democratic backsliding going forward.
Dan Kelemen is Professor of Political Science and Law and Jean Monnet Chair in European Union Politics at Rutgers University. His research focuses on the politics of the European Union, law and politics, comparative political economy, and comparative public policy. He is the author or editor of six books, including The Transformation of Law and Regulation in the European Union, which won the Best Book award from the European Union Studies Association in 2013.
Zselyke Csaky is the Research Director for Europe and Eurasia at Freedom House. In this role, she leads work on Nations in Transit, Freedom House’s annual survey of democracy from Central Europe to Central Asia. Prior to joining Freedom House, she served as researcher at Amnesty International, the International Service for Human Rights, and the European Parliament.

Merkel’s Upcoming Visit and the Future of U.S.-German Relations with Cathryn Clüver and Jeff Rathke

What is the significance of Angela Merkel’s upcoming White House for the future of U.S.-German relations? Cathryn Clüver and Jeff Rathke join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the most important aspects of the July 15 meeting and how the U.S. and Germany can work together on a range of issues going forward.
Cathryn Clüver is the Director and CEO of the German Council on Foreign Relations. She was previously executive director of The Future of Diplomacy Project and The Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center.
Jeff Rathke is the President of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC.Prior to joining AICGS, Jeff was a senior fellow and deputy director of the Europe Program at CSIS, where his work focused on transatlantic relations and U.S. security and defense policy.

President Biden’s Trip to Europe, with Jeremy Shapiro and Amy Mackinnon

What concrete outcomes were achieved during President Joe Biden’s recent trip to Europe? Jeremy Shapiro and Amy Mackinnon join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the future of the transatlantic alliance in the wake of a series of summits between Biden and America’s European allies as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Jeremy Shapiro is the research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, as well as a nonresident fellow at the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution. Prior to Brookings, he was a member of the U.S. State Department’s policy planning staff, and previously served as senior advisor to Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon.
Amy Mackinnon is a national security and intelligence reporter atForeign Policy. She has reported from across Eastern Europe and was previously based in Moscow and in Tbilisi, Georgia, as senior editor for the crisis reporting siteCoda Story.

Political Opposition in Russia & U.S.–Russian Relations, with Leonid Volkov

What is the future of political opposition in Russia? Leonid Volkov joins Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the June 16 Biden-Putin summit, the trajectory of U.S.-Russia relations, and political opposition in Russia.
Leonid Volkov is chief of staff for Alexey Navalny. He was his campaign manager for the 2013 mayoral campaign in Moscow, as well as for his attempt to get registered for the 2018 presidential election in Russia.