Brussels Sprouts


Hosted by Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend, this podcast offers small bites on Transatlantic Security, NATO, the EU, Russia, and all things Europe.

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More from the Transatlantic Security Program

Indo-Pacific Security

The Future of Russia and China in Central Asia

Despite the many proclamations that Russian and Chinese interests would collide in Central Asia, Moscow and Beijing continue to work together in service of their shared object...

Transatlantic Security

Developing the European Defense Industry

Since the war in Ukraine began, the European Union has provided substantial military support to Kyiv. Yet years of underinvestment and a lack of coordination mean that Europe’...

Transatlantic Security

Russia and the Rise of BRICS

This past Tuesday, Russia hosted a high-profile summit of the BRICS group in Kazan, Russia, demonstrating its growing determination to challenge the Western-led international ...

Transatlantic Security

Russia in the Middle East with Jonathan Lord and Hanna Notte

One year after the October 7 attacks by Hamas, the crisis in the Middle East has grown more and more complex. With the region teetering on the brink of broader conflict, the B...

Transatlantic Security

Exploiting Russian Weakness: Moldova and Georgia at a Crossroads

Later this month, both Moldova and Georgia will hold crucial elections with the potential to profoundly shape their futures. As Russia attempts to reassert dominance along its...

Transatlantic Security

What Can We Expect from a Harris-Walz Foreign Policy?

As the 2024 presidential elections approach, there is increasing speculation about the potential implications for U.S foreign policy. Today on Brussels Sprouts, we will have t...

Transatlantic Security

The Origins of Elected Strongmen: How Personalist Parties Destroy Democracy from Within

This week, CNAS hosted the book launch for The Origins of Elected Strongmen: How Personalist Parties Destroy Democracy from Within, a new book by Dr. Joseph Wright, Dr. Erica ...

Transatlantic Security

Splitting the Atom on U.S. Nuclear Strategy

Earlier this year, the Biden administration revised its nuclear strategy, the nuclear employment guidance, which is updated approximately every four years. This time, however,...

Transatlantic Security

Germany's Historic Elections and What Comes Next

Germany is currently at a critical juncture, balancing numerous challenges both at home and abroad. Just last weekend, populist parties including the far-right AfD scored subs...

Transatlantic Security

Assessing the Kursk Offensive with Mike Kofman

The Russia-Ukraine war has recently entered a new phase with the Ukrainian military’s offensive in Kursk, marking one of the most significant battlefield developments in more ...

Transatlantic Security

Brussels Sprouts from the NATO Public Forum on NATO's Ability to Fight Russia and the Importance of the European Pillar

As you might now from our last episode, At the NATO Public Forum in July, Brussels Sprouts roamed the halls of the Marriot Marquis hotel in DC interviewing Public Forum guests...

Transatlantic Security

Cautious Optimism in Washington: Brussels Sprouts and Friends from the Halls of the NATO Public Forum

This week we’re bringing you something a little different. At the NATO Public Forum in July, Brussels Sprouts roamed the halls of the Marriot Marquis hotel in DC interviewing ...

Transatlantic Security

A Night of NATO at the National Archives

Just a few weeks ago, leaders from across the globe gathered in Washington, D.C. for the historic 75th NATO summit. Over the course of the three-day event, allies engaged in d...

Transatlantic Security

75 Years of NATO: Key Takeaways from the Washington Summit

Last week, Washington, DC hosted the NATO summit – marking the historic 75th anniversary of the alliance. Despite the significant milestone, the mood was serious in DC with th...

Transatlantic Security

Kurt Volker and Douglas Lute Discuss the Upcoming NATO Washington Summit

From July 9th to 11th, NATO will hold its historic 75th-anniversary summit in Washington, DC. On the sidelines, CNAS and other think tanks will host the NATO Public Forum. Tho...

Transatlantic Security

A Discussion of European Leadership

Leadership dynamics in Europe are at a critical juncture. Following the recent European Parliament elections, both French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf ...

Transatlantic Security

Resuscitating Europe's Defense Industry

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the attempt of transatlantic partners to provide Kyiv with the weapons systems and ammunition it needs to keep up the fight for the...

Transatlantic Security

Georgia's Democracy Crisis

On 14 May Georgia’s parliament passed a controversial law that requires media and nonprofit groups to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive m...

Transatlantic Security

Richard Fontaine and Hal Brands Discuss the Axis of Upheaval

The effects of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine are reverberating far beyond Ukraine’s borders. Perhaps most fundamentally, Putin’s invasion has catalyzed deepening cooperation...

Transatlantic Security

The High Stakes of European Security with Thomas Wright at the 2024 CNAS National Security Conference

The current moment in the transatlantic relationship is one of high stakes. The United States and its European allies are continuing to grapple with numerous difficulties, inc...

Transatlantic Security

Russian Influence on the Upcoming EU Elections

While the world’s attention has been focused on Russia’s military operation in Ukraine over the past two years, Moscow has continued its attempts to use other, nonmilitary too...

Transatlantic Security

Taking the Temperature of China’s Relationship with the United States and Europe

On Sunday, May 5th, Chinese President Xi Jinping will begin his first trip to Europe in five years. On this trip, Xi will make a high-profile two-day visit to France, where he...

Transatlantic Security

The State of the War in Ukraine with Michael Kofman

As the war in Ukraine continues into its third year, the mood has become increasingly dark. While territorial changes continue to be minor, Russia’s slow but steady advances a...

Transatlantic Security

Interpreting the Recent Turkish Elections with Asli Aydintaşbaş and Steven Cook

Just under a year ago, Turkish President Erdogan won another five years in power in the Turkish presidential election. Last week, however, local election results in Turkey del...

Transatlantic Security

Macron’s Change in Tune and the War in Ukraine

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there has been a notable evolution in France’s approach toward Moscow. In the initial months following the invasion, Fr...

Transatlantic Security

Putin’s Fifth Term and Russian Domestic Politics

This past weekend, Russians went to the polls for the country’s presidential election. To the surprise of no one, Vladimir Putin emerged victorious with a record-high 87 perce...

Transatlantic Security

Franco-German Tensions and the War in Ukraine

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macon made waves when he said that he had not ruled out sending ground troops to fight in Ukraine. This statement prompted a strong reacti...

Transatlantic Security

Discussing Two Years of War in Ukraine with Marie Yovanovitch and William Taylor

February 24 marks the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Heading into the third year of war, Ukraine faces a challenging outlook. No longer are U.S...

Transatlantic Security

German Politics and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party

Throughout January, Germany witnessed weeks of mass protests against the far-right in numerous towns and cities across the country. The immediate impetus for these demonstrati...

Transatlantic Security

Hal Brands on the Looming Threat of Global Conflict

During the past two years, the world has seen the eruption of two major conflicts in two different regions. In Europe, Russia has launched a war of aggression against Ukraine ...

Transatlantic Security

Russia, Putin, and Ukraine in 2024 with Fiona Hill

This week’s Brussels Sprouts discusses expectations for Russia in the pivotal year ahead. As we approach the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine this...

Transatlantic Security

A Look at 2024 with Richard Fontaine and Michèle Flournoy

On this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts, we are setting out to identify some of the big-picture trends shaping the transatlantic relationship and international affairs more...

Transatlantic Security

Crisis in the Middle East with Jon Alterman

Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas this past fall, many have feared the possibility that the fighting could metastasize into a broader regional conflict. Such ...

Transatlantic Security

The Resurgence of Europe’s Far-Right

As we enter 2024, one of the biggest issues likely to face transatlantic partners is the rise of far-right parties in Europe, which have recently gained significant electoral ...

Transatlantic Security

Michael Kofman and Shashank Joshi Analyze the Ukrainian Battlefield in 2024

As 2023 came to a close, many people began to characterize the war in Ukraine as a stalemate. Though it is true that very little has recently changed along the front lines and...

Transatlantic Security

Remembering a Titan: The Complex Legacy of Henry Kissinger with David Sanger and Stephen Sestanovich

On November 29, former U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger died at the age of 100. With a long career spanning many decades as both a scholar...

Transatlantic Security

Understanding the State of U.S. Support to Ukraine with Ambassador Ivo Daalder

As winter approaches and territorial changes along the frontlines in Ukraine continue to be minimal, the realization is setting in that a long war likely lies ahead. To contin...

Transatlantic Security

How the West Can Court the Global South

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many observers have focused on the consolidation of Western unity in responding to Moscow’s aggression. However, attitu...

Transatlantic Security

Did China and Russia just sabotage critical infrastructure in the Baltic?

During the past several weeks, a string of attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea has highlighted the challenges NATO faces in protecting itself against hybrid t...

Transatlantic Security

The State of European Aid to Ukraine with Justyna Gotkowska, Liana Fix, and Tara Varma

More than a year and a half after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sustained Western support for Kyiv is as critical as ever. With the future trajectory of the war rem...

Transatlantic Security

Europe, Russia, and the Conflict in Gaza

Two weekends ago, news broke that Hamas had infiltrated Israeli territory, killing hundreds of civilians while taking many others hostage. In the wake of these attacks, Wester...

Transatlantic Security

Germany’s Shifting China Strategy

Last month, Germany adopted its first ever strategy on China. Looking forward, Berlin’s implementation of this strategy will impact Germany, as well as the broader cohesion of...

Transatlantic Security

Lukashenko, Wagner, and the Future of Belarus

Over the past month, Belarus has been increasingly in the spotlight, with the announcement of the Wagner Group’s relocation to the country following its aborted mutiny in Russ...

Transatlantic Security

A Post-Prigozhin Wagner Group with Kimberly Marten and Vanda Felbab-Brown

Last week, the world learned the shocking news that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the notorious head of Wagner private military company, died in a plane crash north of Moscow. Prigozhin’...

Transatlantic Security

The Russia Stability Tracker

In February 2023—one year into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine—CNAS convened a group of leading U.S. experts on Putin’s Russia and authoritarianism to assess...

Transatlantic Security

Democracy under Threat

In 1998, Viktor Orbán was elected the prime minister of Hungary in free and fair elections. He was supported by the Fidesz party—a movement he founded in 1988 that became a po...