Chain Reaction

Welcome back to the Ties That Bind.This season, we are looking at NATO from a bit of a different vantage point, specifically that of the frontline states. How are frontline states investing in and planning for their defense? How are they thinking about their role and contributions in the Alliance and on the world stage? How have their historical experiences shaped how their governments and societies think about defense, countering disinformation, and changing economic realities? And how are they preparing for a potential conflict with Russia? This week, we are looking at Poland, a country that has completely transformed its military and defense capacity over the last two decades. Periods of transition are not always painless, and we’ll hear what challenges Poland has faced and what opportunities lie ahead as it looks to become a leading voice within the alliance and on the world stage.Featured guests: * Anna Fotyga, former Polish Foreign Minister, 2006-2007* Tomasz Szatkowski, former Deputy Defense Minister, 2015-2019, and Ambassador to NATO, 2019-2024* Jakub Romaniuk, Programme Director, Foundation Institute for Eastern Studies Get full access to FPRI Insights at fpriinsights.substack.com/subscribe

A flurry of back-and-forth diplomacy, a renewed Russian offensive, and a rare outburst of protest in Ukraine. The Kyiv Dispatch with Aaron Schwartzbaum and Fabrice Deprez returns to break down what's actually happening and most importantly, how people on the ground are feeling about it.For more reporting and stories from Ukraine, be sure to follow Fabrice’s newsletter, Eastern Radar. Explore more from the Bear Market Brief. Get full access to FPRI Insights at fpriinsights.substack.com/subscribe

Why does Russia play such an important role in geopolitics? If it's because of 'strength'... what does strength even mean? And why do conceptions of Russia's strength vary so extremely? Seva Gunitsky joins Aaron Schwartzbaum on this week’s Bear Market Brief podcast.Related ReadingRussia is both weak and strong - that's the problem by Seva Gunitsky Get full access to FPRI Insights at fpriinsights.substack.com/subscribe

Here on the Bear Market Brief, a lot of what we focus on is, simply put, risk: what might happen, and what might it mean?On this episode, geoeconomic and country risk expert Rachel Ziemba joins Aaron Schwartzbaum to delve in the discipline of Political Risk: how does one "do" the field?Bear Market Brief features a weekly newsletter and a monthly podcast that strives to be a resource for specialists, generalists, and anyone with an interest in the post-Soviet space. We provide a platform for analysis, particularly for emerging area experts and academics, and a space for even-handed, fact-based conversations in hopes of improving Russia/Eurasia analysis and coverage. Get full access to FPRI Insights at fpriinsights.substack.com/subscribe

In this special two-part episode of Chain Reaction, Senior Fellow Rob Lee interviews Yevgeniy Malik, a squad leader in Ukraine's 36th Marine Brigade. Malik fought in Mariupol during the beginning of the war and defended the Illich Iron and Steel Works. He spent more than two years in captivity in Russia as a prisoner of war from April 2022 to September 2024. During this time Malik faced daily beatings and torture. In Part 1, Yevgeniy explains what it was like to be a prisoner of war in Russian prisons, and what the thousands of Ukrainian prisoners of war still face every day.Please be advised that this episode contains content that may be disturbing to some listeners.Part 1 - Chapters* Introductions - 2:26* Setting the scene in Mariupol - 5:04* Negotiating surrender - 14:43* Surrender at the bridge - 18:25* Arriving in Sartana - 20:29 * Time in Olenivka prison -22:19* Transfer into Russia - 26:37* Time in Ryarsk prison - 30:27* Interrogations - 46:25* A Day in Ryarsk - 56:18 Get full access to FPRI Insights at fpriinsights.substack.com/subscribe