This conversation with Kirill Shamiev, of the Swedish Institute of International Affairs and a non-resident fellow at the Kennan Institute, focuses on his recent book, Imperfect Equilibrium: Civil-Military Relations in Russian Defense Policymaking. It explores the question of civil-military relations past and present in Russia and their effect on Russian foreign policy and strategic thinking.

This conversation with Howard Amos, a journalist, addresses his book, Russia Starts Here: Real Lives in the Ruins of Empire, a book that with a focus on the city of Pskov explores questions of center and periphery, of borderlands and of the historical transitions in Russia in recent years.

This conversation with Steedman Hinckley focuses on the long lead-up to the war, on the decisions that Russian President Vladimir Putin made along the way, from 2014 to 2002, and on the character and political context of leadership circles in Russia.

This conversation with Liana Fix, of the Council on Foreign Relations, focuses on her recent book, Germany Rearmed: The Return of War and the End of Illusions, with an emphasis on Germany foreign policy after the end of the Cold War, the structure of European geopolitics both before and after February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and concluding with an assessment of the risks and opportunities posed by a Germany remared.

Europe faces its most volatile security environment since the Cold War, shaped by Russia’s war against Ukraine, emerging hybrid threats, rapid technological change, and growing coordination among Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. As European nations dramatically boost defense spending and assume greater responsibility for their own protection, critical questions arise: Can Europe sustain these commitments politically and economically? How will the transatlantic alliance evolve, and what realistic strategy can secure Europe’s future?

On this panel, Michael Kimmage, Director of the Kennan Institute; Philip H. Gordon, Sydney Stein, Jr. Scholar at the Brookings Institution; and Daniel Benjamin, President of the American Academy in Berlin, take stock of the challenges facing Europe, consider how the transatlantic relationship and NATO may evolve as Europe assumes greater responsibility for its own defense, and examine the strategic choices that will shape European security in the years ahead.

The panel is moderated by Valerie Hopkins, Moscow Correspondent for The New York Times.

This discussion is part of the workshop “Securing Europe in a Changing World.”, co-hosted with the Kennan Institute.

How is Russia’s foreign policy reshaping European security and the international order? Russia’s war against Ukraine has raised fundamental questions about the Kremlin’s geopolitical ambitions, the future of European security, and the evolving relationship between Russia and NATO. Recorded live in Berlin, this edition of Kennan Conversations brings together Alexander Gabuev, Hanna Notte, and Michael Kimmage for a discussion of Russia’s geopolitical strategy and its implications for Europe and the wider international community. The conversation explores Russia’s use of hybrid tactics, NATO’s evolving approach to deterrence, and the challenges facing European nations as they respond to Moscow’s actions. It also considers how Russia’s confrontation with the West is shaping international security and the broader geopolitical order. Featuring:

• Alexander Gabuev, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

• Hanna Notte, Non-Resident Fellow, Kennan Institute

• Michael Kimmage, Director, Kennan Institute

Moderated by Steven Erlanger, Chief Diplomatic Correspondent, The New York Times. This conversation was recorded live in Berlin as part of the Kennan Institute’s Kennan Conversations series. Please note: This recording contains audio only. Kennan Conversations is made possible by the generous support of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.

This conversation with Drew Hinshaw and Joe Parkinson, both of the Wall Street Journal, focuses on their book, Swap: A Secret History of the New Cold War, a book that sheds considerable light on the geopolitics of the moment by telling the story of a dramatic prisoners' exchange in 2024. This book helps to explain the practice of keeping and exchanging hostages in Vladimir Putin's Russia.

Kennan Conversations is made possible through the generosity of the Carnegie Foundation.

Kennan Conversations is made possible through the generosity of the Carnegie Foundation.

A conversation with Sylvie Kauffmann, a distinguished French journalist, looking at European politics in the lead-up to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, at the relationship of various European countries to Russia before 2022 and at the European origins of Russia's invasion.

This conversation with Timothy Frye, a political scientist at Columbia University and a member of the Kennan Institute Advisory Council, and Samuel Greene, a political scientist at King's College London, addresses the question of public opinion in Russia - in the wake of the September Duma elections in Russia. It will assess not just the question of what Russian public is, but of how Russian public opinion can be assessed and researched.

A conversation with Hanna Notte, a Kennan Institute non-resident fellow, focusing on her book, We Shall Outlast Them: Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West, a study of Rusian foriegn policy as it extends beyond Europe and the United States and of the global dynamic behind Russia's war against Ukraine.

A conversation with Thomas Wright, of the Brookings Institution, on the origins of the war, following two lines of inquiry, one on the European context for the war and the other on U.S.-Russian relations as a point of origin for the war.

This convesation with Dr. Kateryna Shynkaruk, a senior lecturer at The Bush School of Government and Public Policy at Texas A&M University, explores the origins of the war, the articulation of Ukrainian foreign policy before the war and the underyling dynamic of the Ukrianian-Russian relationship.

This conversation, with Alexandra Prokopenko of the Carnegie Endowment, focuses on Prokopenko's recent book, From Sovereigns to Servants: How the War against Ukraine Reshaped Russia's Elite, a study of decision-making at the very top of the Russain government and the patterns of loyalty that enable this decision-making and allow it to be implemented, a history of Russian governance from the 1990s to the present moment.

This conversation with Swasti Rao, a professor at the Jindal School of International Affairs, looks at the origins of the war in Ukraine from multiple points of view, starting with its European and transatlatnic background and emphasizing the global context for this war, both in its origins and in its consequences.

This conversation will feature Ayse Zarakol of Cambridge University and Alexander Cooley of Barnard College. It will examine the various concepts that have been used to situate Russia geographically, politically and culturally, with an emphasis on the notion of "Eurasia." It will also relate these concepts to the various geopolitical configurations in and around Russia historically.

When did the war in Ukraine begin: 1654, 1991, or 2021?

On September 9, Kennan Institute Director Michael Kimmage joined the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies at the University of Michigan for The Origins of the War in Ukraine: A Question of Chronology.

Kimmage considers three possible points of origin for the war and examine how the chronology we choose shapes our explanations of it. The lecture also explores the difficulty of conducting chronological analysis without solid empirical evidence, a challenge extending from academic research on Russia to intelligence analysis and policymaking.

Kennan Conversations is made possible through the generosity of the Carnegie Foundation.

A conversation with Dara Massicot, of the Carnegie Endowment, on the evolution of the Russian military after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the development of Russian strategy and the various conflicts, from Chechnya to the annexation of Crimea in 2014, that laid the foundation for Russia's decision, in 2022, to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A conversation with Samuel Charap, of the Rand Corporation, on the origins of the war, with a focus on the development of Russian foreign policy after 2012, on the European security architecture after 1991 and on the place of Ukraine in U.S. foreign policy. This conversation emphasizes questions of nuclear strategy and nuclear non-proliferation in relation to the origins of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

A conversation with Constanze Stelzenmueller, of the Brookings Instittuion, on the origins of the war, with particular focus on the evolution of European policy toward Eastern and Central Europe after 1991 and on the role of Germany in "Minsk" diplomacy in 2014 and 2015. This conversation places the origins of the war in a European and transatlantic context.

A conversation with sociologist Ekaterina V. Klimenko, affiliated scholar at the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies at Georgetown University, on the uses of medieval history in Russian politics and Russian foreign policy. Alicja Curanovic, professor at the University of Warsaw, serves as a respondent.

A conversation with the historian Nicole Eaton, a professor of history at Boston College, on her new book, German Blood, Slavid Soil.

A conversation with Timothy Snyder, a professor at the University of Toronto, and author of many pioneering books on the history of Eastern and Central Europe. This conversation focuses on the status of Ukraine in Europe, on the evolution of Russian foreign policy under President Vladimir Putin and the reasons for Russia's invasion of Ukraine first in 2014 and then, on a much larger scale, in 2022.

A conversation with Patrick Travers, former advisor to the Canadian Prime Minister, on the origins of the war, on policy choices made by Canada and its allies and on assessments of Russia's motivations for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

A conversation with Stephen Sestanovich, of the Council on Foreign Relations, on the long arc of U.S. policy toward Russia, the evolution of Eastern and Central Europe after the end of the Cold War and the motivations held by Russian President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine in February 2022.

A conversation with Dmitri Alperovitch about his recent book, World on the Brink, exploring the roots of the war in Ukraine through a global lens, linking the war in Europe to scenarios of a possible invasion of Taiwan.

A converastion with Bradley Gorski, a professor of literature at Georgetown University, and Yasha Klots, a professor of literature at Hunter College, on the literary scene in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union.

A discussion with Times opinion columnist M. Gessen, author of eleven critically acclaimed books, host of "The Idiot" podcast, and winner of the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Opinion Writing.