Max Bergmann

Director, Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and Stuart Center
Max Bergmann

Max Bergmann is the director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and the Stuart Center in Euro-Atlantic and Northern European Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Prior to joining CSIS he was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he focused on Europe, Russia, and U.S. security cooperation. From 2011 to 2017, he served in the U.S. Department of State in a number of different positions, including as a member of the secretary of state’s policy planning staff, where he focused on political-military affairs and nonproliferation; special assistant to the undersecretary for arms control and international security; speechwriter to then secretary of state John Kerry; and senior adviser to the assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs. Before serving in the State Department, Bergmann worked at the Center for American Progress as a military and nonproliferation policy analyst and at the National Security Network as the deputy policy director. Bergmann holds a master’s degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Bates College. His recent commentary has been published in outlets such as Politico (March 2022, August 2022), the Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, and Sasakawa USA.

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Sixteenth Annual South China Sea Conference

This full-day conference will feature keynote addresses and in-depth panel discussions on recent developments in disputed waters and the importance of the 10-year anniversary of the landmark South China Sea arbitration.

Event — July 7, 2026

The Eurofile

Europe Will Survive; But Will It Prosper? feat. David Marsh

Max sits down with David Marsh, co-founder and chairman of the OMFIF economic research group and former Financial Times Europe editor, to discuss his new book Can Europe Survive? The Story of a Continent in a Fractured World.

Podcast Episode by Max Bergmann — July 2, 2026

CSIS

Press Briefing: Previewing the NATO Summit

The Center for Strategic and International Studies will host a virtual press briefing to preview the upcoming NATO Summit, set to be held in Ankara, Turkey.

Event — July 1, 2026

Russian Roulette

How Drone Innovation Reshapes the Battlefield in Ukraine with Kate Bondar

Max and Maria sit down with Kate Bondar, Senior Fellow at CSIS’s Wadhwani AI Center and expert on autonomous warfare, to discuss the role of drones in combat in Ukraine, including Russia’s innovation tactics and takeaways from the recent increase in strikes on Moscow and Kyiv. 

Podcast Episode by Max Bergmann, Maria Snegovaya, and Kateryna Bondar — June 26, 2026

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The Eurofile

10 Years of Brexit feat. Tom McTague

Max and Donatienne sit down with Tom McTague, Editor in Chief at the New Statesman and author of Between the Waves: The Hidden History of a Very British Revolution 1945–2016, to discuss how the history of EU-UK relations set up this split, the state of British-EU relations today, and what has or has not changed in politics since 2016.

Podcast Episode by Max Bergmann and Donatienne Ruy — June 22, 2026

CSIS
Russian Roulette

Dr. Nina Khrushcheva: History, Evolution, and a View from Inside Russia

Max and Maria talk with Dr. Nina Khrushcheva about her new book on Nikita Khrushchev and her rare firsthand insights from traveling to Russia, offering a unique view of its shifting politics and culture.

Podcast Episode by Max Bergmann, Maria Snegovaya, and Nina Khrushcheva — June 11, 2026

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The Eurofile

100 Episodes: What We Got Right (and Wrong)

Max and Donatienne celebrate 100 episodes of The Eurofile by looking back at the key questions that have defined the show — from European defense and transatlantic tensions to trade, migration, and economic competitiveness. How well did they call it? And what did they miss? 

Podcast Episode by Max Bergmann and Donatienne Ruy — June 4, 2026

CSIS
State of Play

Is Ukraine Turning the Tide?

Will speaks with Max Bergmann and Maria Snegovaya about their recent trip to Kyiv and if the shifting balance of power means the war may finally end soon.

Podcast Episode by Will Todman, Max Bergmann, and Maria Snegovaya — June 4, 2026

Photo: iLab/CSIS