In this very special bonus episode, we are pleased to feature a conversation between Zbigniew Brzezinski and CSIS President and CEO John J. Hamre, in which Dr. Brzezinski discusses the reconnection of Asia and its geopolitical implications. This conversation is part of a series produced by the Brzezinski Institute on Geostrategy at CSIS. You can find the rest of the conversations on their website: http://bit.ly/2acdvf4.

In this episode, Olga and Jeff welcome CSIS Visiting Fellow Igor Zevelev into the studio for an in-depth discussion of Russian nationalism. Later, Olga talks with Alexander Lukashuk, the Director of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Belarus service about Belarus, the media environment in the former Soviet Union, and the life and work of Nobel Laureate Svetlana Alexievitch. If you are interested in hearing more from Igor Zevelev, head to the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program website here: http://bit.ly/2ahBJm3. You can also find his recent presentation on Russian nationalism at CSIS here: http://bit.ly/2awjbQS. You can find Poems on Liberty here (http://bit.ly/2axCrx8), Alexievitch on Liberty here (http://bit.ly/2afgqkx), and RFE/RL’s feature on the victims of Stalin here (http://bit.ly/2a5fVXr). Finally, you can find CSIS’s new studies on Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia here: http://bit.ly/2aiiJRs.

In this episode, Jeff welcomes CSIS colleague Jeff Rathke, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of the CSIS Europe Program, into the studio for a discussion of the recent NATO summit in Warsaw, the future of the alliance, and its relationship with Russia. Later, Olga and Jeff talk with Nikolai Sokov, Senior Fellow with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, about Russia in the context of European security and Russian foreign policy more broadly, including in the Middle East. If you are interested in hearing more from Jeff Rathke or the CSIS Europe Program, you can find their publications and links to past events here: http://bit.ly/29WhUCA. You can also find the video of Nikolai Sokov’s recent talk on Russian nuclear strategy at CSIS here: http://bit.ly/28KmgZU. 

In this episode, Olga and Jeff welcome Mamuka Tsereteli, Senior Research Fellow and Director of Research at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program at Johns Hopkins SAIS and founder of the Georgian Wine House. Mamuka leads the entire CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program team in a discussion of Georgian wine, food, history, politics, and culture, as they sample seven Georgian different Georgian wines. For those interested, you can find a map of Georgia’s wine making regions here (http://bit.ly/29929UC) and an overview of Georgian wine varietals here (http://bit.ly/2992vKY). You can also find links to the wines mentioned in this episode below (via http://www.georgianwinehouse.com/): Bagrationi 1882 Classic Brut (http://bit.ly/29gd2Yp); Schuchmann Rkatsiteli 2014 (http://bit.ly/29tQQpO); Vinoterra Rkatsiteli 2014 (http://bit.ly/29dZWtc); Teliani Valley Saperavi 2013 (http://bit.ly/295qPMs); Teliani Valley Mukuzani 2013 (http://bit.ly/295zVNC); Orgo Saperavi 2014 (http://bit.ly/29gfbmQ); and Teliani Valley Kindzmarauli 2013 (http://bit.ly/2982eMe). (Note: the otherwise not identified voice at 22:04 is that of Dr. Ivan Safranchuk, Visiting Fellow with the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program)

In this episode, Olga Oliker and Jeffrey Mankoff sit down with their CSIS colleague Matthew Goodman, Senior Adviser for Asian economics and William E. Simon Chair in Political Economy, who just returned from Kazakhstan, to discuss his impressions of the country and prospects for connectivity across Eurasia. Then, they take a deep dive into the human rights situation in Central Asia with Steve Swerdlow of Human Rights Watch. You can find a link to Matthew Goodman’s work on the CSIS Simon Chair website: http://bit.ly/1WP7aX2. To read more from Steve Swerdlow, head over to the Human Rights Watch website: http://bit.ly/24UiUa0. Finally, you can access the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program’s “Central Asia in a Reconnecting Eurasia” report series here: http://bit.ly/1UymGo9.

Olga Oliker and Jeffrey Mankoff talk about the North Caucasus with three top experts on this complex part of Russia, each representing a different perspective. Guests include Sergey Markedonov from the Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow and, in a roundtable, Ekaterina Sokirianskaia of International Crisis Group and Sufian Zhemukhov of the George Washington University. You can find a link to Ekaterina Sokirianskaia’s new report, “The North Caucasus Insurgency and Syria: An Exported Jihad?” here: http://bit.ly/1pue7yT. You can also find a link to Ekaterina Sokirianskaia and Sufian Zhemukov’s recent presentation at CSIS here: http://bit.ly/28fqlgD.

Olga Oliker and Jeffrey Mankoff review their recent trip to Moscow, during which Olga presents a sweet theory on the state of the Russian economy. They then discuss Ukraine, U.S.-Russia relations, and the Russian military with Keir Giles of Chatham House in London and Olga speaks with Russian-American novelist Olga Grushin about her new book Forty Rooms. You can find Keir Giles’ new report, “Russia’s ‘New’ Tools for Confronting the West: Continuity and Innovation in Moscow’s Exercise of Power” here and the video of his presentation at CSIS here. If you are interested in reading Forty Rooms, you can find it here, on Amazon, or in your local independent bookstore. And finally, if you’re interested in trying korovki, here is a link to Olga’s favorite brand.

In part two of a two-part episode on human rights in Russia and Eurasia, Olga Oliker and Jeffrey Mankoff speak with Andrei Sannikov and Shannon Green.

In part one of a two-part episode on human rights in Russia and Eurasia, Olga Oliker and Jeffrey Mankoff speak with Tanya Lokshina, Russia Program Director at Human Rights Watch in Moscow, about the human rights situation in Russia and touch on issues related to Azerbaijan and Ukraine.

The Russian Economy: Olga Oliker and Jeffrey Mankoff take a deep dive into the Russian economy with Vladislav Inozemtsev, one of Russia’s top economic minds. They discuss the current state of the economy and its future prospects, as well as the question of Western policy towards Russia.