Nation contributing editor and ACEWA Board Member Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. (Previous installments are at TheNation.com.) The focus of this discussion is the growing threat of international terrorism, from the Middle East, Europe, and elsewhere to American homeland security.
Stephen F. Cohen: Who Is Responsible for the New US-Russian Cold War?
On May 9, at a public event jointly sponsored by Columbia University’s Harriman Institute and NYU’s Jordan Center for Advanced Russian Studies, Professors Stephen F. Cohen and Michael McFaul debated a crucial historical but also urgent contemporary subject: “The New US-Russian Cold War—Who Is to Blame?”
US CONFERENCE OF MAYORS ISSUES WARNING REGARDING NUCLEAR WEAPONS, NATO WAR GAMES
Though little reported in the US media, the recent US Conference of Mayors which took place in late June passed the following resolution which warned that, “nuclear-armed countries are edging ever closer to direct military confrontation in conflict zones around the world, and the largest NATO war games in decades, involving 14,000 U.S. troops, and activation of U.S. missile defenses in Eastern Europe are fueling growing tensions between nuclear-armed giants.” [Read more…] about US CONFERENCE OF MAYORS ISSUES WARNING REGARDING NUCLEAR WEAPONS, NATO WAR GAMES
Fred Weir: To pay for a ‘Russia first’ agenda, Putin takes ax to military spending
With the tensions between Russia and the West so high – often being described as “a new cold war” – one might understandably assume that there is a corresponding arms race going on.
Cold War 2.0 Heats Up Ahead of NATO Warsaw Summit (Part I)
From Reuters in Kaliningrad: Russia and NATO are each building up their military capability across eastern Europe, spurred by the conflict in Ukraine which has prompted officials on both sides to talk of the risk of a new, Cold War-style confrontation.
Andrey Sushentsov: A Russian View on America’s Withdrawal from the Iran Deal
Russia is acting deeply disappointed in public.
Cold War 2.0 Heats Up Ahead of NATO Warsaw Summit (Part II)
From the AP – via Military.com – Poland’s defense minister Antoni Macierewicz spoke to The Associated Press just four days before about 2,000 delegates from the 28 NATO members and some partner nations meet to approve decisions to station a few thousand troops in Poland and the Baltic states.
Sharmine Narwani: Get Ready for the New Middle East Battlefield: The Golan
The Israelis expected the Syrian government, Iran, and Hezbollah to stay mired in their battles against militants elsewhere—and to be restrained by the Russians, who have openly resolved to stay out of Israel’s fights with Hezbollah and Iran
Cold War 2.0 Heats Up Ahead of NATO Warsaw Summit (Part III)
PODCAST: Paul Robinson, professor of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa and an expert on Russia, says stationing Canadian troops in Latvia is not a very good idea. “I don’t see what exactly it’s meant to achieve and how it’s meant to make things better in terms of our relationship with Russia,” Robinson said in a phone interview from Ottawa.
Angela Stent: What to Expect from Putin’s Fourth Term
So far, the signs point to continuity both in personnel and policies.
Cold War 2.0 Heats Up Ahead of NATO Warsaw Summit (Part IV)
The Nation reports: Misinformation from our media has eroded the possibility of any detente between the US and Russia and have put the two nuclear superpowers on a collision course on the ground in eastern Europe, in the skies over Syria, and on the Baltic and Black Seas.
Richard Sakwa: Comments on “The Quiet Americans Behind the U.S.-Russia Imbroglio”
…we have in the recent period seen an extreme case of ‘groupthink’, both in Washington and in London, which is extraordinarily hard to penetrate or influence.
A Critical Response to NATO Rethink, Realign, React (Prof. Hall Gardner)
What is needed is a new round of NATO-European-Russian nego tiations that involve concrete proposals and compromises, such as the mutual recognition of a “neutral” and “decentralized” Ukraine, and which are aimed at the eventual imple mentation of a new system of Euro-Atlantic security that thoroughly incorporates legiti mate Russian security concerns, writes Hall Gardner of the American University in Paris.
Reuters: Iran’s Zarif says Russia to respect Iran nuclear deal: RIA
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said at a meeting with his counterpart in Moscow on Monday that Russia had confirmed its readiness to respect the Iran nuclear deal, the RIA news agency reported.
Russians Ask “Why Do You Demonize Us When We Are So Much Like You?” (Ann Wright)
I’ve just ended two weeks visiting cities in four regions of Russia. The one question that was asked over and over was, “Why does America hate us? Why do you demonize us?” Most would add a caveat, “I like American people and I think YOU like us individually but why does the American government hate our government?”
Reuters: New Armenian PM tells Putin he wants closer ties with Russia
Armenia’s new Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who came to power last week after a peaceful revolution, told President Vladimir Putin on Monday he favored closer political and military ties with Russia.
BOOK REVIEW: JOURNEY TO ARARAT (Paul Robinson)
Parrot’s account of his journey was translated into English and published in the United States in 1846. Now it has been reproduced in a new edition with a critical introduction by Pietro A. Shakarian, a PhD student at Ohio State University.
Der Spiegel: Is Germany’s Special Relationship with Russia Ending?
Germany’s new foreign minister has adopted a sharper tone than his predecessors on Russia. There are plenty of reasons to do so, but it is a significant break with tradition. Berlin is casting about for a happy medium.
PODCAST: Dr. Strangelove meets General Breedlove & the New Cold War (Michael Vlahos)
Radio Host John Batchelor speaks with Dr. Michael Vlahos of Johns Hopkins about the New Cold War and the recent revelations (via The Intercept and DC Leaks) that former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Philip Breedlove was actively looking for ways to both ramp-up American involvement in the Ukrainian Civil War and to force President Obama’s hand in confronting Russia militarily.
Nikolas K. Gvosdev: Who Will Lead Russia after Putin?
It is always risky to make definitive pronouncements about the future prospects of Russian politicians.