This week, Max sat down for a public conversation with Hanna Notte and Jon B. Alterman to discuss how the governments of Russia and Iran have strengthened their political, economic, and security collaboration since the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Maria sat down with Russian independent journalist and author Mikhail Zygar, and University of Oxford professor Christopher Davis, to discuss the recent string of anti-corruption charges at the Russian Ministry of Defense, and the replacement of Sergei Shoigu with Andrei Belousov at the ministry’s head. What does all this mean for the current composition of the Russian elite, and what impact will these changes have on the Russian war effort in Ukraine? Please check out Mikhail Zygar's Substack, ...
On May 2, 2024, Maria sat down with Michael Kimmage and Mary Elise Sarotte to discuss Michael's newest book, "Collisions the Origins of the War in Ukraine, and the New Global Instability." "Collisions" is available for purchase from Oxford University Press.
For today's special bonus episode, Max sat down with Tinatin Japaridze and Eto Buziashvili to discuss the ongoing protests taking place in Georgia. Georgian civil society is mobilizing yet again in opposition to the controversial "foreign agents" law being pushed by the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Today, Max and Maria were joined by Tina Dolbaia and Nick Fenton, two members of the team at CSIS, to discuss the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program's latest report, "Back in Stock? The State of Russia's Defense Industry after Two Years of the War."
On this week's episode, Max and Maria sat down with Roman Dobrokhotov, the founder and editor-in-chief of the Russia-focused investigative media outlet, The Insider. Roman's team, along with colleagues at CBS's 60 Minutes and the German outlet Der Spiegel, recently concluded an investigation that uncovered evidence potentially linking Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, with the health incidents impacting U.S. government officials and their families that have come to be known as "Hav...
Max and Maria sat down with Paul Schwartz and Sam Bendett to discuss the different technological and tactical battlefield innovations taking place in Ukraine today, and what they mean for military analysts studying the war. Disclaimer: Paul and Sam's views as expressed in this episode are their own, and do not necessarily represent the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA).
Nicolas Véron of Bruegel and the Peterson Institute for International Economics joined Max to discuss the ongoing debate over Russia's frozen central bank reserves. This conversation was recorded on March 15, 2024. See "The European Union should do better than confiscate Russia's reserve money" by Nicolas Véron for Bruegel. At the time of this episode's publication, the European Council met for a summit in Brussels and was considering a plan to use the profits accrued to frozen Russian assets to...
This week, Maria was joined once again by Liana Fix and Nikolay Petrov to discuss Russia's March 2024 presidential election, and what "politics" looks like in the country today. Be sure to read the new paper written by Maria and Liana, "Leadership Change in Russia: Contingency Planning Memorandum" (Council on Foreign Relations).
This week, Max and Maria are joined again by Miriam Lanskoy from the National Endowment for Democracy to discuss the recent news of Alexei Navalny's death in a Russian penal colony.
On this week's episode, listen to Max interview Maria on her new book, "When Left Moves Right: The Decline of the Left and the Rise of the Populist Right in Postcommunist Europe." Max and Maria were joined by Dan Kelemen, a Senior Associate non-resident fellow at CSIS and an expert on the European Union. This conversation was recorded on January 30, 2024. To order a copy of Maria's book, please click here.
This week, Max and Maria were joined by acclaimed reporter, Catherine Belton. Catherine currently writes for the Washington Post, and has written extensively on the Russian elite and security services. Max, Maria, and Catherine discussed ongoing Russian efforts to influence democratic societies, and the particular vulnerability facing Western countries as they gear up for a series of elections across the globe in 2024.
Michael Kofman, a leading expert on the Russian military and a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace joined Max, Maria, and Michael Kimmage, to discuss the status of further Western military and financial aid to Ukraine, and the impact a lack of additional assistance would have on the battlefield. This recording took place on December 20, 2023. The full video of the conversation can be found here.
This week, Max and Maria were joined again by Michael Kimmage, and Michael's frequent co-author and a fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations, Liana Fix. Recently, Michael and Liana published a piece in Foreign Affairs titled, "A Containment Strategy for Ukraine: How the West Can Help Kyiv Endure a Long War," and they shared their piece's main arguments and conclusions over the course of the episode. This conversation was recorded on December 8, 2023. Learn More: "A Containment Str...
On this week's episode, Maria fills in Max and Michael Kimmage after her recent trip to Kyiv. The three of them then discuss the current state of the war with Russia, and examine some of the key questions facing Ukraine and its partners as we head into 2024.
On October 31st, Max moderated a conversation between Maria and Sergei Guriev on the ideology of Putinism. Does Vladimir Putin have an ideology? If so, will this ideology help him retain power in Russia? Maria recently co-authored a report on this same topic, and the paper's findings were the main topic of discussion. Dr. Sergei Guriev is the Provost at Sciences Po in Paris, and a renowned professor of economics. Previously, he led the New Economic School in Moscow from 2004-2013. Additionally, ...
On this week's episode, tune into a conversation Max had on October 24, 2023 with CSIS Senior Associate non-resident fellows, Michael Kimmage and Hanna Notte. Hanna, based in Berlin, is an expert on Russian foreign policy, the Middle East, and arms control and nonproliferation. While Hanna was in DC, she sat down with Max and Michael to discuss Russia's strategy towards the Global South in the wake of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Learn More: "Putin is Getting What He Wants," by Hanna...
This conversation was recorded as a CSIS event on September 18, 2023. Max sat down with Lisa Aronsson, John Deni, and Paul Schwartz, to examine how sanctions-induced limits on Russia's defense industrial capacity have been impacting, and will continue to impact, Russia's ability to wage war on Ukraine, counter NATO, and remain a major actor in global arms sales. The panelists discussed the findings of recent reports they authored for CSIS, which are included in the show notes below. Learn More: ...
This week, Maria interviews Max about the emerging crisis around the future of U.S. security assistance to Ukraine. Max deep dives into the mechanics of how U.S. funding for Ukraine's war effort actually works, the impact of the ouster of Kevin McCarthy from the House speakership on the funding debate, and the potential role of the EU in filling the gap if the Biden administration fails to gain additional congressional authorization to support Kyiv. Learn More: "U.S. Security Assistance to Ukrai...
On this week's episode, Max is joined by Eric Ciaramella of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, to discuss his recent writing on possible long-term security arrangements for Ukraine while the country remains outside of the NATO alliance. Learn More: "How the West Can Secure Ukraine's Future: Kyiv Needs a Binding Commitment Before NATO Membership" by Eric Ciaramella (Foreign Affairs) "Envisioning a Long-Term Security Arrangement for Ukraine" by Eric Ciaramella (Carnegie Endowment for ...
After a few weeks off for the summer, Max and Maria are back, and are joined again this week by Professor Michael Kimmage. Max, Maria, and Michael discuss all the biggest headlines coming out of Russia and Ukraine since our last episode at the start of August, and give their takes on where events might be headed next. Learn More: The Eurofile | CSIS Podcasts "How Russia Globalized the War in Ukraine: The Kremlin's Pressure-Point Strategy to Undermine the West" by Michael Kimmage and Hanna Notte ...
On this week's episode, Max and Maria are joined by long-time Russia hand and national security specialist, Rose Gottemoeller, for a wide-ranging conversation on Russian politics, the war in Ukraine, NATO, and nuclear non-proliferation. A former Deputy Secretary General of NATO and Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security at the U.S. Department of State, Rose reflects on her many years working in U.S.-Russian relations to provide insight on global politics today.
In this week's episode, Max and Maria are joined by economists Elina Ribakova and Sergey Aleksashenko to discuss the current state of the Russian economy. Learn More: "Sanctions Evaporate with Time" by Sergey Aleksashenko | Substack "Russia's War Machine Is Still Running on Western Equipment" by Elina Ribakova
In this episode, Max and Maria are joined by Andrew Monaghan and Richard Connolly to discuss their most recent work, "The Sea in Russian Strategy," a new edited volume on the growing importance of naval and maritime concerns in Moscow's foreign policy. (Note: This episode was recorded before Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative on Monday, July 17, 2023.)
Max and Maria recently sat down with Jeffrey Mankoff and Catrina Doxsee to discuss how Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the mercenary Wagner Group, marched his troops towards Moscow in a direct challenge to the Russian leadership. Prigozhin's actions and the Kremlin's response raise important questions about the future of Vladimir Putin's rule, and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
In this week's episode, Max and Maria sit down with CSIS Senior Associates Jade McGlynn and Michael Kimmage to discuss Jade's latest book, "Russia's War." The book explores the domestic political approval for Russia's ongoing invasion and occupation of Ukraine within Russian society. This episode was recorded on May 25, 2023 as part of a CSIS book event. You can watch the video from the conversation here.
On this week's episode, Max and Maria are joined by Federico Steinberg, a CSIS Visiting Fellow and economist, and Martin Sandbu of the Financial Times. Martin has closely followed the debate around sanctions, with a particular focus on Russian financial reserves that have been frozen by Western governments. His thorough breakdown of this topic is a must-listen for anyone trying to understand the Russian economy today.
Max and Maria are joined again by CSIS Senior Associate Michael Kimmage to discuss Ukraine's impending counteroffensive, and what it could mean for global politics going forward. Learn More: The Eurofile | Tories Battered in UK Local Elections, A Rant about the Stability and Growth Pact, and a Conversation with Jude Blanchette Russia Sanctions at One Year Out of Stock? Assessing the Impact of Sanctions on Russia’s Defense Industry
Today's episode is about the escalating waves of repression in Russia, and what they mean for both the regime and what remains of the organized domestic opposition. Maria sat down with Natalia Arno, the founder and president of the Free Russia Foundation, and Miriam Lanskoy, the Senior Director for Russia and Eurasia at the National Endowment for Democracy, to discuss this important topic.
Today's episode is a recording of an event Max and Maria held on April 14, 2023 to discuss the findings of a new CSIS report, "Out of Stock? Assessing the Impact of Sanctions on Russia's Defense Industry." Joined by Samuel Bendett and Paul Schwartz, Max and Maria discuss the effects Western sanctions and export regulations have had on Russia's ability to produce key weapons systems, in addition to the Kremlin's efforts to circumvent the sanctions regime. Read the full report here.
