As calls for closer ties with the EU failed to be met, Ukrainians took to the streets in in November 2013. As the movement later known as the Euromaidan, or “Euro Square,” pulled western Ukraine closer to its European neighbors, another powerful force threatened to tear away the country’s eastern half: Russia. Putin’s push-back against European expansionism has the West wondering: If Putin’s Russia isn’t afraid to take an aggressive stance against Europeanization in Ukraine, what does that mean for the rest of Russia’s neighbors?
Featured Guests
- David Ignatius, Columnist, The Washington Post
- General James Jones, Former National Security Advisor
- Donald Rumsfeld, Former Secretary of Defense
- Chuck Hagel, Former U.S. Senator, Chairman, Atlantic Council
- Admiral James Stavridis, Supreme Allied Commander Europe
- Max Boot, Council on Foreign Relations
- Jonathan Tepperman, Managing Editor, Foreign Affairs
- Robert Kagan, The Brookings Institution
- Anne-Marie Slaughter, Dean, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University
- General Richard Meyers, Former Head of Joint Chiefs of Staff
- Ian Bremmer, President and Founder, Eurasia Group
- Trita Parsi, Founder and President, National Iranian American Council
- Barney Frank, U.S. Congressman
- Laurie Garrett, Council on Foreign Relations
- Micah Zenko, Council on Foreign Relations
- Danielle Pletka, American Enterprise Institute
- Richard Lugar, Former Republican Senator
- Tom Ridge, Former Secretary of Homeland Security
- Will McCants, Johns Hopkins University
- Doug Bandow, Cato Institute
What to Read
Recommended Readings
Eurasian Energy Security
This report from 2009, authored by Jeffrey Mankoff and published by the Council on Foreign Relations, details the challenges faced by both consumers and suppliers in Europe and Eurasia.
The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and its Dangerous Legacy
David Hoffman, a contributing editor at the Washington Post, looks at the end of the Cold War arms race and its legacy today.
Russian Roulette (Video)
Produced by Vice, “Russian Roulette” is a series of reports covering Russians incursion into Ukraine. The dispatches, as their called, are short and can all be found online for free.
The Civil Archipelago
David Remnick, author of Lenin’s Tomb, looks at dissent and human rights in this longform article for the New Yorker.
Inside the Iron Closet: What It’s Like to Be Gay in Putin’s Russia
An excellent long-form article on gay rights in Putin’s Russia and the impacts the country’s new anti-gay laws have had on the community.
The Concealed Battle to Run Russia
(Available to The New York Review of Books subscribers only.) This article looks at the siloviki, or “strong men,” of Russia, who have become the bedrock of Putin’s regime.
Organizations
- United States Department of Defense
- Boeing – Defense, Space and Security
- International Institute for Strategic Studies
- Congressional Budget Office – Defense Budget
- RAND Corporation – National Defense Research Institute
- Department of Homeland Security
- Brookings Institute – Defense and Security
- National Security Agency
- Central Intelligence Agency
- Center for Strategic and International Studies