In the discussion of the results of the Presidential elections in Russia, Sen. John McCain claimed the result was an insult to all Russians. [Read more…] about Vladimir Brovkin: The Man Who Made Russia Great Again (excerpt)
Analysis
Why Ukraine’s NATO membership is not in America’s interests (Josh Cohen)
The United States-Russia relationship is already in bad shape, and U.S. diplomats are hurting it further by sending conflicting messages about Ukraine’s future relationship with NATO.
Stephen F. Cohen: Russia Endorses Putin as Trusted Leader While Washington and London Condemn Him (Again)
Some reflections on the Russian presidential election and on the Sergei Skripal case.
Fighting for Concessions in the Ukrainian Conflict (STRATFOR)
A May 1 cease-fire in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian security forces and pro-Russia separatists is largely holding, for now. The cease-fire is likely Moscow’s last chance to demonstrate its intent to meet the security components of the Minsk protocols before the European Union reviews its sanctions on Russia in July. However, Kiev’s desire to eradicate political infighting and maintain its Western support against Russia may keep Ukraine from fully implementing the cease-fire unless Russia makes more security concessions.
Gerald Easter: Russia’s Presidential Election: Meaning and Response
Russia’s presidential election this past week offers a new opportunity for Western politicians and journalists to castigate the Putin regime. The occasion prompted an improvised litmus test for Western leaders and governments on whether they should offer congratulations to the Russian president. [Read more…] about Gerald Easter: Russia’s Presidential Election: Meaning and Response
PODCAST: Is War With Russia Possible? (Stephen F. Cohen)
Nation Contributing Editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions—after a two-week “sabbatical”—about the new US–Russian Cold War. (Previous installments are at TheNation.com.) Cohen laments that during the past two weeks the Obama administration appears to have been undermining cooperation with Moscow on three Cold War fronts. [Read more…] about PODCAST: Is War With Russia Possible? (Stephen F. Cohen)
Mary Dejevsky: Unanswered Questions Linger Over Salisbury Poisoning
Now it does not take much imagination to see a Russian hand behind what would appear to have been a botched attempt to kill 66-year-old Sergei Skripal and perhaps his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia, too. Even if you accept that, however, the question is whose Russian hand, and why?
Who Started the Second Cold War? (Patrick Buchanan)
Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work announced that 4,000 NATO troops, including two U.S. battalions, will be moved into Poland and the Baltic States, right on Russia’s border. “The Russians have been doing a lot of snap exercises right up against the border with a lot of troops,” says Work, who calls this “extraordinarily provocative behavior.”But how are Russian troops deploying inside Russia “provocative,” while U.S. troops on Russia’s front porch are not?
Amb. Tony Brenton: Despite the Salisbury attack, Britain can’t cut off all links with Russia
The safety of the people is the highest law, said Cicero. He was right. And it is a core duty of the British government to deal effectively with a nerve gas attack on our streets, which has seriously incapacitated three people and endangered many more.
Defining a New Security Architecture for Europe (John J. Mearsheimer)
John Mearsheimer discusses what he considers to be the failings of US-NATO policy since the end of the Cold War. Note to readers: The piece begins on page 27 in the PDF which the link will bring you to.
Paul Robinson: How Not to Write History
Timothy Snyder is at it again.
Mary Dejevsky: The British Government’s response to Sergei Skripal proves we’ve learnt nothing from the Iraq War
As leader of HM Opposition, and with the Iraq WMD experience behind him, Corbyn is entirely justified in not taking Government assurances on trust. Indeed, is this not what an opposition is for?
Josh Cohen: Commentary: Ukraine’s neo-Nazi problem
As Ukraine’s struggle against Russia and its proxies continues, Kiev must also contend with a growing problem behind the front lines: far-right vigilantes who are willing to use intimidation and even violence to advance their agendas, and who often do so with the tacit approval of law enforcement agencies.
Patrick Lawrence: Behind this week’s Russia headlines
By the end of the week I thought of those early-1950s horror movies, wherein the cameras linger on mobs of innocent citizens as they hold their hands up and their faces dissolve into a combination of fear and revulsion. That is what we are supposed to feel, do and look like, it seems. The Russians!
Gordon Hahn: Chasing Putin: Russia’s Pro-Democracy Parties and the Presidential Election
Long-standing Russian President Vladimir Putin will win Russia’s presidential election by a landslide, garnering some 70 percent of the vote.
Paul Robinson: Three Doses of Drivel
Stalin oversaw the Great Terror in which some 700,000 people were executed. And somehow Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is the same.
The Lasting Effects of the Post-Chernobyl Parade (Lev Golinkin)
May 1, 1986, was a beautiful day for a parade in Kharkov, Ukraine. Red banners and optimism were the hallmarks of Soviet parades, and this one had plenty of both…The only oddity was the reviewing stands, where the city authorities stood, were mostly empty. “Sveta – get him indoors!” my grandmother shouted from our apartment balcony as soon as she saw my mom and I returning home.
Anton Troianovski: Russia’s young people are Putin’s biggest fans
“Tanks are stationed on our borders,” Rybin said. “We have good troops defending our borders, defending our Russia. If we elect a different president, can we expect this from him, or not?”
George Beebe: Here Is What Trump Should Do about the Poisoning of a Former Russian Spy
If Putin is guilty more of misrule than misdeeds in the Skripal affair, however, confronting him would risk doing more harm than good. The dangers of a World War I-type escalatory spiral would loom large, particularly if powerful interests in Moscow or other capitals want a showdown.
Look Who Funds Ukraine’s ‘Anti-Putin’ Internet TV (Kenneth Rapoza)
The best way to raise funds for a media project in Ukraine? Go full-bore anti-Russia to easily woo North American and European governments to give you money.