Brian Whitmore

Washington, D.C.

Host at The Power Vertical Podcast by Brian Whitmore

A blog about Russian politics by Atlantic Council Senior Fellow and UTA Adjunct Prof. Brian Whitmore. I block trolls & anybody else I find remotely annoying.

Articles

Welcome to the Long War: Why a Ukraine Deal Was Never Realistic

3 weeks ago | realcleardefense.com | Brian Whitmore

This war will be decided on the battlefield. Four months of chaotic shuttle diplomacy aimed at reaching a cease-fire in Ukraine, multiple phone calls between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, repeated US attempts to pressure, browbeat, and bully Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into concessions, have all yielded exactly nothing. Which is not in the least bit surprising. Because there is no deal to be had with Russia on Ukraine.
The Power Vertical Newsletter

2 months ago | brianwhitmore.substack.com | Brian Whitmore

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The Power Vertical Newsletter

2 months ago | brianwhitmore.substack.com | Brian Whitmore

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NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US! THE EMERGING UKRAINIAN-EUROPEAN DEFENSE ALLIANCE

Mar 21, 2025 | powervertical.org | Brian Whitmore

“O nas, bez nas” is an expression in the Czech, Slovak, and Polish languages that means: “about us, without us.” The phrase was used to describe the infamous 1938 Munich Agreement, when British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain negotiated with Adolf Hitler about the fate of Czechoslovakia without the presence of Czechoslovakia.
LAZY ‘REALISM’ AND THE APPEASEMENT OF RUSSIA

Mar 7, 2025 | powervertical.org | Brian Whitmore

From the moment the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, there is a strong case to be made that the United States and its allies made the same mistake again and again and again. Through six U.S. administrations, and now into a seventh, American foreign policy repeatedly and consistently misread Moscow and prioritized its relationship with Russia over the other former Soviet states.
IT’S EUROPE’S MOMENT

Feb 21, 2025 | powervertical.org | Brian Whitmore

Back in December, I was attending a conference in Hannover, Germany on Ukraine and European Security. Addressing my hosts, I said the following to my European friends and colleagues: “I’ve got some bad news, some good news, and some more bad news. The bad news is that it is probably 1941. The good news is that this time you get to be the Americans.
EURASIAN EMPIRES CLASHING

Jan 31, 2025 | powervertical.org | Brian Whitmore

Just beneath the surface of Russia’s war against Ukraine and its Cold War-style showdown with the West, Moscow has been locked in another less-noticed geopolitical battle — with Turkey. And it is a battle that Russia is clearly losing. In September 2023, Azerbaijani forces, backed by Turkey, seized control of the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh from Russia’s ally Armenia.
THE WAGES (AND DEBTS) OF WAR

Jan 17, 2025 | powervertical.org | Brian Whitmore

Throughout nearly three years of war and in the face of unprecedented Western sanctions, Russia’s economy has seemed surprisingly resilient – at least on the surface. To the untrained eye, Vladimir Putin’s economic managers, Central Bank chief Elvira Nabiullina and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, seemed to have discovered a secret sauce or magic formula to keep the Russian economy humming. But is this really the case? Or is it all just smoke and mirrors?
PUTIN’S PLOT AGAINST AMERICA

Nov 22, 2024 | powervertical.org | Brian Whitmore

For decades, Russian commentators and segments of the Russian political elite have been confidently predicting that the United States would eventually suffer the exact same fate as the Soviet Union: collapse and disintegration. This view was out on the fringes in the 1990s and early 2000s, but in recent years it has moved squarely into the mainstream – and has been backed up by policies to help make it a reality.
MOSCOW’S NEXT MOVE

Nov 15, 2024 | powervertical.org | Brian Whitmore

Following Donald Trump’s election eight years ago, the reaction in Moscow was jubilant. They even popped open champagne bottles in the State Duma. But in contrast to 2016, this year’s reaction in Moscow has been a combination of threats, warnings, and even trolling. After congratulating Trump, Vladimir Putin suggested that in order to improve relations, the United States needed to end sanctions and cut off all support for Ukraine.