Brussels Sprouts

Kicking-off the Next Season of Brussels Sprouts with Amb. Nicholas Burns

In the first episode of our new season, Amb. Nicholas Burns joins Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss U.S.-Europe relations under the Trump administration and how the election could change their course. Burns is the former U.S. ambassador to NATO and Greece, a former career Foreign Service Officer, and a professor of diplomacy and international relations at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Germany’s EU Council Presidency, with Amb. Emily Haber

Amb. Emily Haber joins Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss U.S.-German relations and the EU’s response to the pandemic and economic crisis. Haber is the German ambassador to the United States and a longtime German senior diplomat with several previous roles in Moscow and Berlin.

Putin’s Rise to Power, with Catherine Belton

Catherine Belton joins Andrea-Kendall Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss her new book, “Putin’s People,” and what she has learned from her reporting into Vladimir Putin’s rise to power. Belton is an investigative journalist for Reuters and a former Moscow correspondent for the Financial Times.

Polish Democracy After Duda’s Re-election, with Melissa Hooper and Dalibor Rohac

Melissa Hooper and Dalibor Rohac join Andrea-Kendall Taylor and Carisa Nietsche to discuss the results of Poland’s presidential election and the prospects for democracy in Poland. Hooper is a lawyer and rule of law expert. She is the director of the Foreign Policy and Human Rights Advocacy program at Human Rights First, where she researches anti-democratic trends in Russia and Central Europe. Rohac is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, where he studies transatlantic relations and political trends in Central and Eastern Europe, and a research associate at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies.

Vladimir Putin and the Future of Russian Politics, with Michael McFaul and Vladimir Kara-Murza

​Ambassador (ret.) Michael McFaul and Vladimir Kara-Murza join Andrea-Kendall Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss recent anti-democratic developments in Russian politics and U.S.-Russia relations. McFaul is a former U.S. ambassador to Russia and senior director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council. He is currently a professor and Hoover Institution fellow at Stanford University. Kara-Murza is a Russian democracy activist, politician, author and filmmaker. He currently serves as chairman of the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom and vice president of the Free Russia Foundation.​

Defense Priorities in a New Administration, with Michèle Flournoy

Michèle Flournoy joins Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss how a Biden administration can work with NATO to confront transnational threats. Flournoy has been a leader in defense policy under several administrations, including as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from 2009 to 2012. She is the managing partner of WestExec Advisors and former co-founder of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).

Germany, Nuclear Sharing, and the U.S. Drawdown with Ulrike Franke and Frank Sauer

Ulrike Franke and Frank Sauer join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to break down the U.S. proposal to drawdown in Germany, nuclear sharing, and more on a joint Brussels Sprouts-Sicherheitshalber Podcast episode. Dr. Franke is a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Sauer is a senior researcher at Bundeswehr University in Munich, where he is also the head of research at Project Metis.

The Russia-China Defense Relationship, with Mike Kofman and Alexander Gabuev

Mike Kofman and Alexander Gabuev join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to explain the Russia-China defense relationship on the latest episode of Brussels Sprouts. Kofman is the Director of the Russia Studies Program at CNA and a Fellow at the Kennan Institute in the Woodrow Wilson International Center. Gabuev is aSenior Fellow and the Chair of the Russia in the Asia-Pacific Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center, CEIP.

The U.S. Withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty, with Steven Pifer and Anna Wieslander

Steven Pifer and Anna Wieslander join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on the latest episode of Brussels Sprouts to discuss the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty. Pifer is a nonresident senior fellow in the Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative, Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence, and the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution. Wieslander is the Director for Northern Europe at the Atlantic Council.

Reflecting on Five Years in the U.S., with Finnish Amb. Kirsti Kauppi

Kirsti Kauppi joins Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss her time as Finland’s Ambassador to the United States, Finland’s response to COVID-19, and more. Amb. Kauppi has been in her current post since 2015. She previously served as Director General of Political Affairs of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.