The world contains more potential flash points than ever before.
Analysis
Paul Robinson: Putin Takes Italy
Americans, Canadians, Brits, Italians, and others, who vote for unexpected people or causes, do so for their own reasons which have nothing to do with Russia.
Pavel Devyatkin: Russia’s Arctic Strategy: Aimed at Conflict or Cooperation?
This four article series critically examines Russia’s military, energy, and shipping interests in the Arctic and how Russian policies and actions compare to the existing academic and journalistic rhetoric about the Arctic region.
Ray McGovern: ‘Progressive’ Journalists Jump the Shark on Russiagate
Before the 2016 election, British ex-spy Christopher Steele was contracted (through a couple of cutouts) by the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee to dig up dirt on candidate Donald Trump. They paid him $168,000. They should ask for their money back.
Ben Aris: The Russia Story
What is so striking about the Russia story is its totally schizophrenic nature. The headlines are full of politics and it seems the mainstream press has invested every ounce of their energy into demonising Russia. But investors seem to love Russia (silently). [Read more…] about Ben Aris: The Russia Story
Lee Smith: Who Believes in Russiagate?
Knowledgeable reporters on the left and right are frightened by the spread of an elite conspiracy theory among American media
Understanding the “Under Control” Donbas (Brian Milakovsky)
After nearly two years of war, the contested Donbas region in eastern Ukraine is split in two between the Russian-backed “People’s Republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk and the so-called podkontrolny (under control) Donbas. There is much analysis of how Ukraine might reintegrate the separatist-held territories, by peaceful or military means. But it is no less important to understand Kyiv’s relationship with its own, podkontrolny Donbas.
VIDEO: Daniel Ellsberg Speaks Over New Arms Race
Ellsberg sits down with CBS News correspondent Alex Wagner to discuss the history behind nuclear strategy during the first Cold War and the new arms race.
The way back to the US-Russia negotiating table (Lawrence J. Korb)
President Obama and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, appear ready to embark on a Cold War-style nuclear arms race. To prevent both countries from taking such a dangerous and costly course, the president should try to bring the Russians back to the negotiating table before he leaves office.
VIDEO: Paul Robinson Speech on the New Cold War
I have been studying and visiting Russia for over 35 years. In that time I have witnessed
dramatic changes within Russia. Unfortunately, Western perceptions of Russia remain as
negative as ever. [Read more…] about VIDEO: Paul Robinson Speech on the New Cold War
James Carden: Should Western Elites Blame Russia for the Populist Surge?
By now even the most tireless promoters of the idea that Russian “bots” pose some sort of existential threat to Western democracy are no longer so sure.
Pope Francis, ask more for Ukraine (Lev Golinkin)
The few journalists who still report from eastern Ukraine invariably describe it as an invisible catastrophe. It’s an apt oxymoron. First, a region the size of Connecticut, right in the middle of Europe, was turned into an apocalyptic wasteland where 3 million civilians remain cut-off from basic necessities. Then, it was promptly forgotten.
PODCAST Stephen F. Cohen: How Washington Provoked—and Perhaps Lost—a New Nuclear Arms Race
Stephen F. Cohen, Professor Emeritus of Russian Studies and Politics at NYU and Princeton, and John Batchelor continue their (usually) weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. Cohen explains that President Putin’s speech to both houses of the Russian parliament on March 1, somewhat akin to the US president’s annual State of the Union address, was composed of two distinct parts.
US–Russian relations: The middle cannot hold (Samuel Charap and Jeremy Shapiro)
The Obama administration has stated its intention to avoid a new Cold War, but it has also demonstrated little interest in addressing the core issue in the dispute, namely the regional order in post-Soviet Europe and Eurasia. This “middle way” policy has failed. In order to head off a new Cold War, the United States should lead the West in a new approach that eases competition over countries like Ukraine.
Timothy Gill: Americans shouldn’t be shocked by Russian interference in the election. The U.S. does it, too.
Frustrated with foreign interference in our elections? So are the people of Latin America.
Helen Andrews: The Flat Mind of Thomas Friedman
In a column of February 18, Friedman was in familiar form. Which is to say flat earth mode. Once more, his judgments were sweeping and apodictic. He declared a “code red” on the state of American democracy. “President Trump is either totally compromised by the Russians or is a towering fool, or both, but either way he has shown himself unwilling or unable to defend America against a Russian campaign to divide and undermine our democracy.”
Why Do Neo–Cold Warriors Want Another Proxy Fight With Russia? (Pietro Shakarian)
Does Moscow really want to wreak havoc in Nagorno-Karabakh? The answer is simply no. To the contrary, Russia has a strong interest in maintaining stability in the region, not undermining it. A conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh has the ability to throw the entire Caucasus into a state of chaos, creating serious problems for Russian state security.
Mark Galeotti: I’m Sorry for Creating the ‘Gerasimov Doctrine’
I was the first to write about Russia’s infamous high-tech military strategy. One small problem: it doesn’t exist.
Alastair Crooke: Will the War Clouds Pass Us By, Or Will the Storm Break?
…a weak dollar and rising debt servicing costs seems inevitable: thus, the roles seem set for a reversal from the Reagan era. Then it was Russia that overreached, trying to catch up with the US. Now, it may be the vice versa.
Jonathan Marhsall: Why Putin’s Latest Weapons Claims Should Scare Us
Americans should be very concerned about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement on Russia’s breakthroughs in weapons technology – not necessarily because they pose a threat, but because it will mean vast fortunes spent in the U.S. on an arms race, Jonathan Marshall argues.