I was 9 when my family fled Soviet Ukraine. We lived as refugees in Austria before finally coming to the U.S. I was young enough to assimilate quickly but old enough to understand that even in the land of immigrants, immigrants are not always welcome.
Analysis
PODCAST: Trump and Putin: murky waters or movement towards a detente? (Stephen F. Cohen)
Russia loomed large over the US election in 2016, with allegations of politically motivated hacking and calls for further examination of President Trump’s business dealings in the region, Tom Switzer of Australia’s ABC Radio hosted Professor Stephen F. Cohen and journalist Eleanor Clift to discuss.
The Bogus ‘Credibility’ Argument and Hawkish Whining (Daniel Larison)
It is notable how often defenders of the bogus “credibility” argument have to rely on making things up to advance their case. The U.S. didn’t “retreat” from the Middle East under Obama (more’s the pity), and it is a stretch to say that it “abandoned” Ukraine.
Bite and Hold (Paul Robinson)
There seems to be little doubt that the Ukrainians began the latest upsurge in fighting. Even RFE/RL, which is normally very pro-Ukrainian, admits as much.
Dangers of Democratic Putin-Bashing (Robert Parry)
As national Democratic leaders continue to blame Russian President Putin for their 2016 defeat, they’re leading their party into a realignment with the neocons and other war hawks, reports Robert Parry.
PODCAST: The Friends and Foes of Détente (Stephen F. Cohen)
Nation Contributing Editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. Cohen begins by reiterating his historical generalization that 20th-century episodes of détente — under Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, and Reagan — encountered ferocious opposition, even sabotage, on the part of enemies of more cooperative US-Russian relations…
What Do Average Americans Really Think of the Russians? (Pietro Shakarian)
In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, the American media has been in state of panic over allegations of Russian hacking. The frenzy has been promoted by war hawks in both major parties, bolstering their bellicosity. But what do average Americans really think of the Russians?
What Vladimir Putin Could Explain to Donald Trump (Jack Matlock)
The telephone conversation last Saturday between the American and Russian presidents seems to have been amicable and constructive, at least in a general sense. They are reported to have discussed key world issues as potential partners, not as adversaries or enemies.
Mikhail Gorbachev: ‘It All Looks as if the World Is Preparing for War’ (TIME)
The world today is overwhelmed with problems. Policymakers seem to be confused and at a loss.
But no problem is more urgent today than the militarization of politics and the new arms race. Stopping and reversing this ruinous race must be our top priority.
A Game of Russian Roulette (Chip Gibbons)
Some blame Trump’s victory on Russian interference. Others question who Trump really takes orders from, implying that it is Russian president Vladimir Putin, not Trump, who will be calling the shots in the White House. Still others decry Trump’s praise for Putin, going so far as to label it “treasonous.”
OPEN MESSAGE FOR PRESIDENTS TRUMP AND PUTIN: YOUR TELEPHONE CALL (JACK MATLOCK)
As one who advised President Reagan on how to end the Cold War, I welcome your plans to discuss US-Russian relations. Relations have reached a state that is dangerous for both our countries and, in fact, the entire world.
Gordon Hahn: Towards a Realist American Russia Policy (Revised Final Edition, Parts 1 and 2)
American foreign policy, especially its Russia policy, is a runaway train without rails, driven by a troubling confluence of hubristic ideological influences and bureaucratized sectoral interests networked through Washington.
Senator Durbin Calls for Sanctions Against Russia (James Carden)
Portraying Russia’s actions—in the United States and around the globe—in the most ominous terms, Durbin seems intent on foreclosing the possibility of a policy of détente with Russia under President Trump.
PODCAST: Incessant Kremlin-Baiting of President Trump Is a Threat to US National Security (Stephen F. Cohen)
Nation Contributing Editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. Cohen worries that unrelenting allegations that President Trump is a willing or unwilling agent of Putin’s Kremlin — could limit or even cripple his ability to make wise decisions in regard to Russia, even in a dire crisis.
This Is How the New Cold War Turns Hot (Jeffrey Sommers)
American journalists keep saying Alexander Dugin is Putin’s ideological adviser. One problem: He’s not.
Another Reset with Russia? (Robert Skidelsky)
NATO’s expansion between 1999 and 2004 to include the Baltic states was, in my view, a serious mistake. I remember a leading Russian liberal telling me in the 1990s that a democratic government in Moscow was a much more secure guarantee against Russian adventurism than NATO troops in Vilnius.
What Trump Gets Right About Russia (Paul Robinson)
Donald Trump’s desire to mend fences with Russia has made him a target of abuse from his political enemies and from the security studies commentariat. But in this regard, Trump is far more sensible than his numerous critics
VIDEO: US-Russia Relations in “Most Dangerous Moment” – With Abby Martin and Stephen F. Cohen
Professor Stephen F. Cohen addresses the claim being trumpeted by politicians and media on both sides of the political spectrum that Russia is now the “number one” threat to the United States. Given the proxy wars in Syria and Ukraine, Prof. Cohen tells host Abby Martin that the real danger today is “a new, multi-front Cuban missile crisis.”
Russia takes power-broking role as Syria peace talks to begin in Astana (The Guardian)
Russia is to take the role of Middle East power broker on Monday when it seeks to strengthen the Syrian ceasefire by sponsoring a face-to-face meeting between opposition fighters and representatives of Bashar al-Assad’s government.
The Russian-American ‘Reset’, NATO Expansion, and the Making of the Ukrainian Crisis (Gordon Hahn)
An emerging myth–one being put forward by both present and former U.S. government officials, the DC think tank community, and the media–is that NATO expansion had nothing to do with the making of the Ukrainian crisis and civil war. Nothing could be further from the truth.