During my days in Aleppo I did not see the leading international humanitarian organisations working in the field. On the road between Damascus and Aleppo, the only humanitarian transports I saw were Russian and Syrian; I did not see any of the large international convoys that Western governments have insisted on bringing in as part of various earlier ceasefire attempts. I ask myself why.
Analysis
How the President-elect Can Trump Foreign Policy Idealism (Anatol Lieven)
On Ukraine, the contours of a compromise are obvious. The United States can easily concede an agreement on Ukrainian neutrality, because NATO has shown again and again that it will, under no circumstance, fight to defend Ukraine—so the idea of NATO membership is vacuous.
The Perils of Russophobia (Patrick Lawrence)
Anyone too young to remember HUAC and the destruction the Cold War wrought should study up. We are a few short steps away from both.
A Flashback to My Soviet Childhood (Lev Golinkin)
Twenty-five years ago this month, the Soviet Union collapsed. Scholars are still debating the precise cause of death, but surely unsustainable communal anxiety played a role. Today, I’m stunned to see signs of similar neuroses tainting the United States, the country to which my family fled.
What does Putin really want? Trump’s presidency will show us. (Yuval Weber)
On the campaign trail and in his appointments, Donald Trump has been suggesting a very different U.S. policy toward Russia than his White House predecessors have had. Instead of attempts to contain Russia’s territorial ambitions, Trump has been suggesting much more accommodation, admiration and even possibly cooperation.
Understanding Russian Foreign Policy Today (Raymond Smith)
U.S.-Russia relations are in disarray, with talk of a new Cold War pervasive. Fortunately, framing the conflict in terms of national interests points to a way forward.
Russian military report mass graves of civilians in Syria’s Aleppo (Deutsche Welle)
Russia’s military has found a mass grave of Syrians, allegedly killed by rebel groups ahead of last week’s evacuation. An independent monitoring group could not confirm how they died.
World War Three By Mistake (The New Yorker)
Harsh political rhetoric, combined with the vulnerability of the nuclear command-and-control system, has made the risk of global catastrophe greater than ever.
Stop Poking the Bear (Robert W. Merry)
The gravest crisis facing America and the West is also the most unnecessary: the ominous deterioration in relations with Russia.
VIDEO: U.S.-Russian Relations: How Good Can They Get? (The Belfer Center, Harvard University)
Panel discussion held in Washington last week featuring:Kevin Ryan, Belfer Center’s Defense and Intelligence Project Director;
Fiona Hill, National Intelligence Officer for Russia and Eurasia at the National Intelligence Council; Simon Saradzhyan, Belfer Center’s Russia Matters Project Director; and Dimitri Simes, The Center for the National Interest President.
The Real Saboteurs of a Trump Foreign Policy (Patrick Buchanan)
…to some in Washington, beating up on Russia is a conditioned reflex dating to the Cold War. For others in the media and the front groups called think tanks, Russophobia is in their DNA.
Why I Still Don’t Buy the Russian Hacking Story (Bloomberg View)
I’m willing to believe that Russia sought to hack the U.S. election, but I still find the evidence lacking. That skepticism applies to the latest sensation — a report that Russian proxies in Ukraine are employing the same malicious software used on the U.S. Democratic National Committee.
The Politics of Condemnation (Paul Robinson)
… as the Greeks knew very well, the eventual consequence of hybris is nemesis – downfall. Those who insist on practising the politics of condemnation should beware.
VIDEO: Tucker Carlson Talks to NYU Professor Stephen Cohen Over Russia Stealing Election (FNC)
ACEWA Board Member and Professor Emeritus Stephen F. Cohen talks with Fox News host Tucker Carlson about the inherent and impending dangers of the new cold war and as well as accusations of Russian interference in the US election.
How American Exceptionalism Has Undermined Foreign Policy (Patrick Lawrence)
…we can name the fatal flaw in American foreign policy and the reply of those dedicated to an alternative: Exceptionalism is the problem, multipolarity the solution.
John McCain Is Wrong About the Russia Hack (Doug Bandow)
For someone who has served in war, Sen. John McCain is easily shocked. He has joined the chorus in Washington protesting Russia’s alleged hacking of the Democrats. He and his colleague Sen. Lindsey Graham are pressing for an investigation by a newly-constituted select congressional committee.
PODCAST: American Cold Warriors Want to Fight Russia, Not Terrorism (Stephen F. Cohen)
Nation Contributing Editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. Cohen argues that the real enemies of US national security are the American senators (McCain, Graham and their bipartisan allies in Congress) and mainstream media waging a campaign against Trump’s proposed cooperation with Russia, presumably first and foremost against terrorists in Syria and elsewhere.
Rex Tillerson and the Russian Problem (Amb. Robert Hunter)
Allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. election campaign become a tool to limit, if not cripple, President Trump’s attempts to change the downward course of U.S. and Western relations with Russia.
Cyber Panic: If the hack is a “political 9/11,” should we retaliate by invading and destroying Russia? (Sophie Pinkham)
ON WEDNESDAY, THE NEW YORK TIMES ran a front-page article on the DNC hack. Despite the implications of its lurid headline (“The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S.”), the article is, for the most part, a tale of American incompetence and negligence.
PODCAST: Part 2: Stephen Cohen & Ken Roth on Trump, Hacking & Tillerson (Democracy Now)
President Obama has ordered a review of Russia’s role in influencing the presidential election. Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, and Stephen Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies and politics at New York University and Princeton University debate.