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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Russian Roulette

Ukraine's Dynamic Defense Sector: Combat Hubs, Air Defense, and Non-Stop Innovation

Investigative journalist Tim Mak, who has been stationed in Ukraine since 2022, joins Max and Maria for a discussion about life in Kyiv, the processes and challenges driving innovation in Ukraine’s dynamic civilian defense combat hubs, and the impact of AI and information integration on the battlefield.

Podcast Episode by Max Bergmann, Maria Snegovaya, and Tim Mak — July 10, 2026

Russian Roulette podcast logo

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

Make the Ankara Summit About European Defense Autonomy

As NATO meets in Ankara amid transatlantic strain, European allies must present the Trump administration with a burden-shifting roadmap, put its defense industry on a wartime footing, and advance NATO-EU cooperation by addressing Turkey’s role in European defense.

Commentary by Max Bergmann and Otto Svendsen — July 6, 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

Russian Roulette podcast logo
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