In this episode, the Trade Guys and Andrew welcome Joseph Glauber, a Senior Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, DC.  They discuss the motivations behind the latest export restrictions by some countries, and the latest news on meat processing plants.

In this episode, the Trade Guys and Andrew discuss some silver linings coming out of the COVID-19 crisis. They also break some bad news about the economy coming out of the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund.

Disputes over the regional order in post-Soviet Europe and Eurasia are at the core of the breakdown in Russia-West relations, and have created major security and economic challenges for the states caught in between: first and foremost Ukraine, but also Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Current policy approaches toward the regional order—i.e., the set of rules, norms, and institutions that govern the region—have exacerbated today’s disorder and instability. The authors of a new report offer a comprehensive proposal for revising the regional order. The proposal, which addresses the security architecture, economic integration, and regional conflicts, was devised by four groups of experts convened by the RAND Corporation and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung’s Regional Office for Cooperation and Peace in Europe. Each group included representatives from the West, Russia, and the states in between. This event is made possible by the generous support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

At 11:00 PM on January 31st, the UK will formally withdraw from the European Union. How will the UK's foreign and security policy change? What security challenges will it prioritize? And will leaving the European Union bring the UK closer to the United States? Please join us for a conversation with former UK Secretary of State for Defense (2010-2011), former Secretary of State for International Trade (2016-2019), and Conservative MP from North Somerset Dr. Liam Fox. Dr. Fox will offer his reflections on the vitally important role NATO must play in the future, the role of values in national security, the security challenges that Russia and China pose to the UK, the impact of cyber warfare, and the role of non-state actors and proxy groups in fueling future conflicts. This event is made possible through generous support from the Stuart Family Foundation

Russian natural gas exports are once again high on the agenda. Russia is completing two new pipelines to Europe, just inaugurated a new gas pipeline to China, and is boosting its presence in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) market. All this is happening as the outlook for gas in Europe is being upended by new supplies and routes, by new rules and regulations, and by an ambitious decarbonization agenda that will reshape the role of gas in the European energy system, and thus the relationship with Russia. The Europe-Russia relationship has always had a political and geopolitical dimension, ever since the Soviet Union first supplied gas to Western Europe in the late 1960s. “Yet to boil down the subject of Russian-European gas relations to geopolitics is to miss a large part of the story,” writes Thane Gustafson, a professor of government at Georgetown University and a Senior Director at IHS Markit, in his new book The Bridge: Natural Gas in a Redivided Europe (Harvard University Press, 2020). He continues to say: “The gas revolution in Europe has deep roots, which originated quite independently of Russia, and are only distantly related to geopolitics.” This event is made possible through general support to CSIS.

Please join us for a conversation with Finland’s Minister of Defense Antti Kaikkonen. As an EU member state, NATO partner, Arctic nation, and neighbor to Russia, Finland offers a unique perspective on security in the High North and transatlantic security challenges. The Minister will reflect on the state of transatlantic relations, the regional security situation, and the way forward for bilateral defense cooperation. He will also outline his views on an emerging defense agenda, particularly in new technology areas, and provide an update on Finland’s defense priorities for its Presidency of the Council of the European Union (through December), which include development and integration of new technologies; improving counter-hybrid capabilities; and advancing cooperation with partners. Minister Kaikkonen has served as a Member of Parliament since 2003. This event is made possible through generous support from the Stuart Family Foundation.

In partnership with the Centre for Polish-Russian Dialogue and Understanding (CPRDU), CSIS is pleased to invite you to the eighth annual Transatlantic Forum on Russia. This year's conference will examine transatlantic policy towards Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova five years after Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and military incursion into eastern Ukraine. The Transatlantic Forum on Russia is part of a broader effort to formulate an enduring transatlantic policy framework towards Russia, with an examination of regional security, political, and economic developments. Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. AGENDA   8:30-8:50am Registration and Light Breakfast     9:00am Welcoming Remarks:          Ms. Heather A. Conley, Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia and the Arctic, CSIS Dr. Ernest Wyciszkiewicz, Director, Centre for Polish-Russian Dialogue and Understanding (CPRDU)   9:10-10:00am             Keynote Address: U.S. Policy toward Russia: A View from Congress Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) 10:00-11:30am           Panel One: Five Years After the Annexation of Crimea and Military Incursion into the Donbas: Where Does the Transatlantic Community Go from Here?   Panelists: Dr. Pawel Kowal, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland (2005-2007), Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences Dr. Maria Snegovaya, Adjunct Fellow, Center for European Policy (CEPA) Dr. Alina Polyakova, Director, Global Democracy and Emerging Technologies, Brookings Jonathan D. Katz, Senior Fellow, German Marshall Fund   Moderator: Dr. Ernest Wyciszkiewicz, Director, Centre for Polish-Russian Dialogue and Understanding (CPRDU)   11:30-11:45am            Coffee Break   11:45-1:15pm             Panel Two: Belarus, Moldova and Georgia: What Does the Future Hold?   Panelists: Dr. Adam Eberhardt, Director, Center for Eastern Studies, Warsaw Iulian Groza, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova (2013-2015) Executive Director, European Institute of Politics and Reforms, Chișinău Alex Johnson, Chief of Staff, U.S Helsinki Commission Dr. Mamuka Tsereteli, Senior Fellow, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at AFPC   Moderator: Ms. Heather A. Conley, Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia and the Arctic, CSIS   1:15pm                       Buffet Lunch                                     1:45pm                       Journalist Roundtable: The White House and the Evolution of U.S. Policy toward Russia   Panelists: Peter Baker, White House Correspondent, New York Times Susan Glasser, Staff Writer, The New Yorker Rene Pfister, Washington Bureau Chief, DER SPIEGEL   Moderator:  Ms. Heather A. Conley, Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia and the Arctic, CSIS This event is made possible through generous support from the Centre for Polish-Russian Dialogue and Understanding.

While countering terrorism financing may be prioritized by national governments, it is the rise of illicit finance and money laundering that constitutes a grave threat to national security and democratic institutions. As extensive research identified in the Kremlin Playbook and the Kremlin Playbook 2 demonstrated, illicit financial flows are increasingly used to influence policies and erode democratic systems. Anti-money laundering (AML) directives, Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO) legislation as well as other transparency initiatives in the EU and U.S. can help safeguard democratic institutions.  Prior to the 2013 financial crisis, Cyprus and the Cypriot financial system was frequently cited as a main conduit of illicit financial flows, particularly from Russia. Cyprus responded by implementing important AML and banking reforms in recent years, such as a register for beneficial ownership for trusts and enhanced compliance and due diligence policies. We welcome the leaders of the two largest banks in Cyprus, as well as Eric Lorber, Director for the Center for Economic and Financial Power at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, for a public discussion on what lessons were learned during this period as well as what more work needs to be done in the U.S. and the EU to prevent malign economic influence from penetrating Western financial systems.  This event was made possible through ­­­­­­­­­­­general support to CSIS.

Please join us at CSIS for a conversation with Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Audun Halvorsen on Norway’s Arctic security strategy. For Arctic littoral states such as Norway, changing dynamics in the Arctic as a result of climate change and increased commercial activity will bring new challenges in the future. Deputy Foreign Minister Halvorsen will offer his perspectives on the effects of a shifting geopolitical climate on the Arctic and the implications for Norwegian foreign and security policy, for NATO efforts to enhance deterrence and defense in the High North and North Atlantic, and for Arctic governance.  Mr. Halvorsen previously served as a Political Advisor to the Minister of Defense and a Political Advisor to the Conservative Party Parliamentary Group. This event is made possible through general support to CSIS.  

Bob and Andrew talk with Bulent Aliriza, director of the CSIS Turkey Project, about the escalating situation along the Syrian border with Turkey after President Trump ordered U.S. troops out of the region. Download the full transcript here.