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 Oct 2, 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

DEFENDING THE BALTIC FRONT
DEFENDING THE BALTIC FRONT Oct 2, 2026 00:54:10 On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Agnia Grigas, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center, author of the book Beyond Crimea: The New Russian Empire, and the author of the forthcoming Atlantic Council report, "The Deterrence Gap: How Can NATO Protect Its Front Line From Russia," which will be launched and published on October 7.
PUTIN'S EUROPEAN FRONT
PUTIN'S EUROPEAN FRONT Sep 25, 2026 01:01:51 On the Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore hosts an all-start lineup of guests to break it all down: Michael Carpenter, who served as the U.S. National Security Council's Senior Director for Europe, US Ambassador to the OSCE, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia; and Max Bergmann, a former U.S. State Department official who served, among othe
DÉJÀ VU DIPLOMACY
DÉJÀ VU DIPLOMACY Sep 11, 2026 00:58:21 On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks 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, and veteran U.S. diplomat David Kramer, who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor in the administration o
UKRAINE AT 35
UKRAINE AT 35 Sep 4, 2026 01:07:48 On The Power VerticalPodcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks 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 and Marta Dyczok, an Associate Professor of History and Political Science at the Western University, a Fellow at the University of Toront
MR. RATCLIFFE GOES TO MOSCOW
MR. RATCLIFFE GOES TO MOSCOW Aug 28, 2026 00:57:50 On the Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore hosts an all-start lineup of guests to break it all down: Michael Carpenter, who served as the U.S. National Security Council's Senior Director for Europe, US Ambassador to the OSCE, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia; John Sipher, a 28-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency's National Cla
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.

Recommended