Max and Donatienne discuss the implications for Europe from Trump’s imminent return to the White House. Learn more:   Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts 

Max and Donatienne are joined by Cecilia Malmström, former European commissioner for trade (from 2014 to 2019) and European commissioner for home affairs (from 2010 to 2014), to discuss the evolution of the EU’s trade policy, EU-China ties on trade, and the state of transatlantic economic and trade relations.  Learn more:   Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts 

Max and Donatienne discuss the latest European Council meeting and Biden’s ‘farewell’ trip to Germany (00.43). Then, they turn to a conversation with Mij Rahman, the managing director for Europe at Eurasia Group, to discuss priorities and challenges facing the new European Commission, and the current state of French politics (14.35).  Learn more:   Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts 

Max and Donatienne recap Max’s recent Europe trip and discuss the EU’s lackluster approach to the Middle East one year after the October 7 attacks (05:36). Then, they turn to a conversation with Tom Nuttall, The Economist's chief Germany correspondent and head of the Berlin bureau, about the state of German politics (14:18).

Max and Donatienne discuss Ursula von der Leyen’s proposed College of Commissioners for her second term as Commission President (00:38). Then, they turn to a conversation with Simone Tagliapietra, senior fellow at Bruegel, about the state of Europe’s energy transition and the EU’s evolving climate policies (16:44).    Learn more:   Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts  Power Plays: Europe’s Response to the Energy Crisis (csis.org)

Max and Donatienne discuss the formation of a new French government after Emmanuel Macron picked former chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as Prime Minister. Then, they briefly discuss two regional elections in East Germany and the outline of Ursula von der Leyen’s new European Commission. Finally, they turn to a conversation with Federico Steinberg, visiting fellow with the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program and senior analyst at Elcano, about the long-awaited Draghi report on the...

Max and Donatienne are joined by Sophia Besch, Tara Varma, and Liana Fix for a summer special conversation on the Washington, DC think tank scene from a European perspective.   Sophia Besch is a senior fellow in the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Her area of expertise is European defense policy. Tara Varma is a visiting fellow at the Center of the United States and Europe at Brookings. Her research focus includes current French security proposals in the...

Max and Donatienne discuss Ursula von der Leyen being confirmed for a second term as Commission President, the turbulent start to Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the European Union, and President Biden’s decision not to run for reelection in November. Then, they turn to a conversation with Chris Johnstone, senior adviser and Japan Chair at CSIS, to discuss his recent report co-authored with Max Bergmann titled “Europe's Security Role in the Indo-Pacific: Making It Meaningful.”   Learn...

Max and Donatienne recap the recent NATO summit in Washington, DC (00:48) and discuss the fallout from the French legislative elections (04:55). Then, they turn to a conversation with Camille Grand, Distinguished Policy Fellow at ECFR, to discuss the implications of the NATO summit on European security (16:26).    Learn more:   Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts  Policy Brief: Defending Europe with less America 

Max and Donatienne discuss the recent nominations for top EU jobs, as Ursula von der Leyen stays in pole position to secure another five-year term as Commission president (00:44). Then, they turn to a conversation with Marcus Roberts, Chief of Public Data at YouGov, to preview the UK elections and discuss broader trends in European politics (13:57).    Learn more:   Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts  New Report: Europe's Security Role in the Indo-Pacific: Making It Meaningful  New Commentary:...

Max and Donatienne discuss the results from the European Parliament elections where the far-right made significant gains but failed to deliver a decisive blow to the incumbent centrist coalition (01:07). Then, they turn to a bold move by French President Emmanuel Macron to dissolve parliament and call snap elections after his liberal Renaissance party fared poorly in the EP election (07:50). Finally, they turn to a conversation with Lieutenant General Michiel van der Laan, the Director...

Max and Donatienne discuss the latest polling figures for the European Parliament election (1:00) and Rishi Sunak’s decision to call an early election in the U.K. on July 4th (7:34). Then, they look ahead to President Biden’s state visit to France, in part to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day (12:16). Finally, they turn to a conversation with Dan Kelemen, who holds the McCourt Chair at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University and is a non-resident senior associate with...

Max and Donatienne discuss the assassination attempt on Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico (0:53) and the announcement of a new Dutch government (0:53). Then, they turn to a conversation with Jude Blanchette, Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS, for a conversation about President Xi’s recent trip to Europe and the state of Sino-Russian ties (18:54).    Learn more:   Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts  Pekingology | CSIS Podcasts 

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.  Learn more:   Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts 

Max and Donatienne discuss Emmanuel Macron’s latest speech about the future of Europe (0:55). Then, they will begin to unpack the EU parliamentary election (08:53) before briefly discussing Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Europe (14:55). Finally, we will turn to a conversation with Rebecca Christie, Senior Fellow at Bruegel, for a conversation about the Enrico Letta report and the European single market (18:54).    Learn more:   Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts  EU bank-saving...

Max’s Ukraine trip and the passage by the U.S. Congress of a national security supplemental (0:48), foreign interference (15:43), Ivo Daalder (23:22)  Max and Donatienne discuss Max’s trip to Ukraine and the long-awaited passage of a U.S. national security supplemental (00:48). Then, they briefly discuss the recent flurry of foreign influence attempts by Russia and China in European politics (15:43). Finally, a conversation with Ambassador Ivo Daalder, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and CEO...

Donatienne and Otto discuss the recent meeting of NATO foreign ministers, including the Secretary-General Stoltenberg’s idea to set up a five-year, €100 billion fund to continue supporting Ukraine (01:03). Then, they will briefly discuss the latest meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council in Leuven, Belgium (11:15) and the results from the Slovak presidential election (19:16). Finally, a conversation with Ignacio Molina, Senior Analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute to discuss Spain’s...

Max and Donatienne discuss the recent European Council meeting and the implications for Ukraine and European defense. Then, they turn to recent developments in Central and Eastern Europe, including Slovakia’s presidential election and the latest turmoil in negotiations to form a new Bulgarian government. Finally, Max and Donatienne turn to a conversation with Jeff Rathke, President of the American-German Institute to discuss the latest developments in German politics.   Learn more:   Russian...

Max and Donatienne discuss the recent Franco-German spat on Ukraine and the direction of European defense before turning to the EU’s new defense industrial strategy. Then, Max talks to Ambassador Charles Fries, Deputy Secretary General for Peace, Security and Defense at the European External Action Service (EEAS), about the EU’s role as a defense actor.  Learn more:   Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts  The European Union Charts Its Own Path for European Rearmament 

Max and Donatienne discuss Ursula von der Leyen’s bid for a second term as European Commission President and Dutch PM Mark Rutte vying to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary General. Finally, Max and Donatienne are joined by Ilaria Mazzocco, senior fellow with the Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at CSIS, for a conversation on growing European dependencies on China for climate technologies and China's EV export boom.    Learn more:   Russian Roulette | CSIS...

Max and Donatienne discuss former President Donald Trump’s latest comments on NATO from the campaign trail in South Carolina and the reactions in Europe. Then, they briefly cover the recent protests by European farmers and the reemergence of a power-sharing government in Northern Ireland. Finally, Max and Donatienne are joined by Emily Benson, director of the CSIS Project on Trade and Technology and Senior Fellow with the CSIS Scholl Chair in International Business, to discuss the EU-US Trade...

Max and Donatienne discuss Ukraine’s continued struggle to secure funding from the European Union. Then, we will turn to a conversation with Catherine Belton from the Washington Post on Russian attempts to influence European politics. Catherine reports on Russia and has written extensively on the Russian elite and security services.    Learn more:    Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts  Europe Needs a Paradigm Shift in How It Supports Ukraine

Max and Donatienne discuss the recent efforts to continue EU funding for Ukraine. Then, they are joined by Marcus Roberts, Chief of Public Data at Yougov, for a conversation about polling trends ahead of a major election year in Europe.    Learn more:   Russian Roulette | CSIS Podcasts  Europe Needs a Paradigm Shift in How It Supports Ukraine