American Committee for US-Russia Accord

In the wake of a stunning counteroffensive in which Ukrainian forces reclaimed over 1,000 miles of territory, Russia is uneasy. The country’s political talk shows, usually so deferential, have given the floor to more critical voices. Opponents of the war have weighed in — about 40 officials from municipal councils signed a petition requesting the president’s resignation — and previously loyal figures have begun to mutter about the regime’s failings. In a sign of general discontent, Alla Pugacheva, Russia’s most famous 20th-century pop star, has come out against the war. Six months of consensus has started to crack.

With news of possible annexation and potential use of nuclear weapons, Washington must put on the brakes and press for talks.

 

The Biden administration will soon release its National Security Strategy, which is being revised in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In his latest broadside in the Wall Street Journal, Walter Russell Meade takes aim at a body that most Americans have never heard of–the Shanghai Cooperation Organization [SCO]— and its annual summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan [“The Clumsy Push to Disrupt the World Order”, WSJ, September 20].

Mead’s core message seems to be twofold: first, “the Eurasian power balance is shifting”, he argues—that is to say, China’s support for its friend and fellow charter SCO member, Russia is waning [to illustrate this he draws a head-scratching comparison between Presidents XI and Putin on the one hand and Hitler and Mussolini on the other.]  Second, he damns the SCO with faint praise, noting that with the addition of India and Pakistan “the organization has become more significant”; but proceeding then to suggest why the opposite is the case [“Russia, China and Iran seek a new global system but propose no positive agenda”] [Read more…] about ACURA ViewPoint: David C. Speedie: Good Neighbors? The Shanghai Cooperation Organization

The Russo-German relationship is essential for shaping the broader environment that European states inhabit.

How the West Brought War to Ukraine is no apologia for the Russian president who, as Abelow writes, bears responsibility for the war. “Mr Putin,” writes Abelow, “is responsible. He started the war and with his military planners, is directing its conduct. He did not have to go to war.”

Yet a question former US officials like Michael McFaul should spend more time asking is one that Abelow raises: “Where would we be now had the United States acted differently?

In the early morning hours of Tuesday, September 13, Azerbaijan launched an aggressive military assault along the borders of the Armenian Republic.  Observers of politics in the post-Soviet space may be forgiven for thinking that the center of fighting was the disputed, Armenian-inhabited region of Nagorno-Karabakh (also known as Artsakh by Armenians).  In fact, however, the attack targeted several towns and villages within Armenia proper, notably Vardenis near Lake Sevan, Jermuk in the rocky Vayots Dzor province, and the leafy town of Goris in Syunik. [Read more…] about ACURA ViewPoint: Pietro Shakarian: How the Russians Read the Karabakh Quandary

A new report authored by Brown University’s Lyle Goldstein lays out the case for why the United States should not engage in threat inflation when it comes to Russia, or use Russia as an excuse to expand the military budget.

Even if it is conceded that the sanctions war is just, it does not follow that it is prudent. On the contrary, the consequences of the West’s course are manifestly inconsistent with the public good and entail the high risk of losing more than is gained.

ACURA founder Professor Stephen F. Cohen died 2 years ago this weekend and to mark the anniversary of his passing we are posting the following from a 2015 lecture Steve gave on the history of the conflict between Russia, Ukraine and the West.

Stephen Cohen was an active participant in the democratic changes in Russia, and he will always be remembered as such.

Though the political forces shaping Vladimir Putin’s handling of this war would seem to be one of the most important subjects in the world, it’s a subject our finest journalistic outlets have spent the war almost completely ignoring.

Some six months since the start of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the emergence of three realities in the war is forcing Washington to wrestle with some hard choices.

The lessons of every significant Cold War crisis suggest that a more circumspect policy is necessary at such a perilous moment.

The New York Times has disclosed that the US shared vital intelligence with the Ukrainian military and took part in the preparation of the latter’s current “counteroffensive” near Kharkov. No matter the Biden Administration’s motivations in publicising its role in what western media is celebrating as a success story — presumably, with an eye on domestic politics in America — it  could be factually correct. The media leak puts the dramatic happenings in the past 3-4 days in proper perspective.

By directly involving itself not only in the planning but also in the execution of Ukrainian offensive action, the US has crossed what certainly may be seen by the Russian leadership as a red line announced at the very outset of the Russian action in Ukraine.

This does not mean going nuclear. But it likely means escalating from local conventional military action to economic and financial targeting of civilian infrastructure, industrial capacity and energy sources.

Former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry looks back at our relationship with Russia and charts a way forward for peace.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has accelerated pre-existing momentum toward a multipolar global order. In response, the Biden administration effectively rallied NATO and ensured that Russian forces cannot resubjugate Ukraine. But it has not anchored its tactical moves in a broader strategy to safeguard America’s most critical interests. As a result, we are fast headed toward a two-front geopolitical faceoff in which a belligerent Russia and a rising China are cooperating closely with each other against the United States.

 

The White House dropped this little nugget on the Friday before the Labor Day weekend: it wants a new aid package totaling $13.7 billion, on top of the already approved $40 billion for Ukraine from May. We are just now getting some idea of what and why it wants the money now, but there are number of questions remaining.

In the wake of his death, the former Soviet leader has been given warm tributes in the U.S. But there’s precious little discussion of Gorbachev’s strong criticisms of U.S. foreign policy or his warnings about the danger of U.S. arrogance.