Home Podcasts The Power Vertical Podcast by Brian Whitmore
The Power Vertical Podcast by Brian Whitmore

The Power Vertical Podcast by Brian Whitmore

The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center 240 Episodes Aug 21, 2026

The Power Vertical Podcast by Brian Whitmore examines emerging and developing trends in Russian politics, focusing on the high-stakes power struggles and clashing interests that shape Kremlin policy. Host Brian Whitmore, a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center and a professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, provides expert analysis. The show shines a spotlight on the machinations and competing forces behind Russian political decisions.

Episodes

RUSSIA'S SHAKY WAR ECONOMY
RUSSIA'S SHAKY WAR ECONOMY Aug 21, 2026 00:58:03 On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Craig Kennedy, a member of the Advisory Board at Harvard University's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and author of the must-read Substack newsletter Navigating Russia. Craig has also had a long career in international banking and served as Vice Chairman of Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
PUTIN'S PLOT AGAINST EUROPE
PUTIN'S PLOT AGAINST EUROPE Aug 14, 2026 01:04:33 On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with James Sherr, an honorary fellow at the International Center for Defense and Security in Tallinn and an associate fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House. 
WAR UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT
WAR UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT Aug 7, 2026 01:05:33 On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with military analyst Michael Kofman, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a senior editor at War on the Rocks, and host of the Russian Contingency Podcast who just returned from a visit to the front in eastern Ukraine.
DEMOCRACY DURING WARTIME
DEMOCRACY DURING WARTIME Jul 31, 2026 00:57:50 On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore has a wide-ranging discussion with Serhiy Kudelia, a Professor of Political Science at Baylor University, and the author of the recently published book, Seize the City, Undo the State: The Inception of Russia's War on Ukraine. The discussion examined what this crisis has taught us about the state of Ukrainian democracy during wartime, th
WAR, POLITICS, AND THE POWER OF THE UKRAINIAN STREET
WAR, POLITICS, AND THE POWER OF THE UKRAINIAN STREET Jul 24, 2026 00:53:23 On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore has a conversation about what that means with Yuriy Boyechko, a Ukrainian-American humanitarian leader and the founder and CEO of Hope For Ukraine, a nonprofit providing aid to civilians affected by Russia’s war against Ukraine.
'WHY BREAK WHAT'S WORKING?' - THE STRANGE SACKING OF UKRAINE'S DEFENSE MINISTER
'WHY BREAK WHAT'S WORKING?' - THE STRANGE SACKING OF UKRAINE'S DEFENSE MINISTER Jul 17, 2026 01:04:56 On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Michael Carpenter, a senior fellow for Transatlantic Affairs at the International Institute for Strategic Studies who served in the administration of former President Joe Biden as the NSC's Senior Director for Europe and U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE and in the administration of Barack Obama as Deputy Assistant Secretary of De
UKRAINE, POLAND, AND HISTORY
UKRAINE, POLAND, AND HISTORY Jul 10, 2026 01:05:05 On this week’s episode of the Power Vertical Podcast, Brian Whitmore speaks with James Sherr, Marta Dyczok, and Serhiy Kudelia about the historical disputes straining Polish-Ukrainian relations and what they mean for Russia’s war against Ukraine.
WAR AND INNOVATION - HOW UKRAINE REVOLUTIONIZED CIVIL DEFENSE
WAR AND INNOVATION - HOW UKRAINE REVOLUTIONIZED CIVIL DEFENSE Jul 2, 2026 00:57:51 WAR AND INNOVATION - HOW UKRAINE REVOLUTIONIZED CIVIL DEFENSE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE KREMLIN’S NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
THE KREMLIN’S NERVOUS BREAKDOWN Jun 26, 2026 00:56:52 On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Mikhail Zygar, author of the bestselling books All The Kremlin's Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin, War and Punishment: Putin, Zelensky, and the Path to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine, and the recently published The Dark Side of the Earth: Russia's Short-lived Victory over Totalitarianism to make sense of it all and to se
INNOVATION NATION: HOW UKRAINE IS REVOLUTIONIZING WARFARE
INNOVATION NATION: HOW UKRAINE IS REVOLUTIONIZING WARFARE Jun 12, 2026 01:07:36 On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore looks at this military revolution with former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodniuk and Michael Carpenter, who served in the administration of former President Joe Biden as the NSC's Senior Director for Europe and U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE; and in the administration of Barack Obama, Mike served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of
RUSSIA VS. EUROPE
RUSSIA VS. EUROPE May 29, 2026 01:06:10 On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore breaks it all down with James Sherr, an Honorary Fellow at the International Center for Defense and Security and an Associate Fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs; and former U.S. State Department official Max Bergmann, director of the Europe and Russia Program at the Center for Strat
VIBES, REALITY, AND WAR
VIBES, REALITY, AND WAR May 22, 2026 00:53:41 On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with military analyst Michael Kofman, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Principal Research Scientist at the CNA Corporation, and a senior editor at War on the Rocks.

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