The United Nations says the number of casualties in fighting in eastern Ukraine is back to last year’s highs. Fighting between Russia-backed separatists and government troops has killed over 9,500 people since it began in 2014 and left much of Ukraine’s industrial heartland in ruins.
Katrina vanden Heuvel: Why We Need a Wider Foreign-Policy Debate
We should seek to reengage Russia, a necessary partner in key areas, and revive efforts to limit the nuclear-arms race and reduce tensions on Russia’s borders. Moreover, a renewed Cold War narrows the space for democratic forces and strengthens the hand of a repressive state and the influence of nationalist voices – on both sides.
We Should Be Shocked, Shocked, at Reports of Russian Interference in US Elections (William Greider)
How dare Moscow tamper with our sacred elections in the home of the brave, land of the free! Republicans suspect Trump may have violated national-security laws. Perhaps the FBI should investigate.
David B. Rivkin Jr. and Elizabeth Price Foley: Mueller’s Fruit of the Poisonous Tree
No evidence has emerged of Trump-Russia collusion, and Mr. Mueller has yet to bring collusion-related charges against anyone. Evidence suggests one of his targets, George Papadopoulos, was lured to London, plied with the prospect of Russian information damaging to Mrs. Clinton, and taken to dinner, where he drunkenly bragged that he’d heard about such dirt but never seen it. These circumstances not only fail to suggest Mr. Papadopoulos committed a crime, they reek of entrapment…
There’s More to NATO Than Article Five (Nikolas K. Gvosdev)
NATO is more than just Article 5. The treaty is comprised of fourteen articles, many of which tend to be ignored or forgotten. One is that the treaty is not an eternal alliance.
Eric Felton: Victoria Nuland Can’t Keep Her Steele Story Straight
Former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland made a bombshell admission Wednesday at an otherwise quiet hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Russia, Trump and Manafort: A Test of the News (Rachel Bauman)
Today, coverage of Russia is starting to resemble the unanimity of opinion that prevailed over a decade ago on Iraq and it is seeping into a variety of outlets.
Paul Robinson: World Cup Blog Post 1
I’ve just arrived in Nizhny Novgorod after a couple of days in Moscow. So, here is the good and bad of my initial impressions of World Cup 2018…
Another Shot In The Propaganda War (Paul Robinson)
In recent weeks, fear of ‘Russian propaganda’, ‘disinformation’, and ‘information warfare’ has reached somewhat hysterical proportions, as seen most clearly in the case of alleged links between Russian hackers and US presidential candidate Donald Trump.
POLITICO: Bolton headed to Moscow next week to broker Trump-Putin meeting
National security adviser John Bolton will visit Moscow next week to discuss a potential meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House said on Thursday morning.
Don’t suffer in silence. Kremlinitis can be cured. (Danielle Ryan)
Research has shown that if you allow your symptoms to fester, Kremlinitis becomes irreversible. Luckily, two world-renowned propaganda experts and guardians of truth, Ed Lucas and Peter Pomerantsev have you covered. The dynamic duo have envisioned a targeted, anti-brainwashing initiative designed specifically to treat sufferers like you. The first step is admitting you have a problem.
Gov. Jerry Brown, George Shultz and William Perry Warn Against “Low Yield” Nuclear Weapons
California Gov. Jerry Brown and prominent former U.S. officials wrote to the Senate majority leader the previous month decrying the W76-2 as a gateway to nuclear catastrophe – reports The Washington Post.
PODCAST: Cold War, Détente, Neo-McCarthyism, and Donald Trump (Stephen F. Cohen)
Nation contributing editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. (Previous installments are at TheNation.com.) For nearly three years, Cohen has lamented the absence any pro-detente movement or leader in the US political-media establishment as the new Cold War grows more dangerous than was its 40-year predecessor.
M.K. Bhadrakumar: Trump holds the clock on North Korea while Putin plans his moves
Talk about a gas pipeline from Russia down through the Korean Peninsula has resurfaced amid a flurry of activity after the summit in Singapore and the Russian leader could be destined to play a key role in upcoming initiatives.
Democrats Should Not Become The Party Of Cold War (Katrina vanden Heuvel)
Together with neoconservative Trump opponents who see an opportunity to regain relevance, they are turning the Orange Menace into a new Red Scare. This is both preposterous and dangerous.
Fred Weir: Russian news influences
I keep seeing stories like this, literally dozens of them, whose main thrust is a breathless warning that Russian news influences — whether from direct sources like RT or “Kremlin line” ones like the Ron Paul Institute [?!?!?] — are totally wiping the floor with mainstream media, along with Western government press departments and the whole universe of Western think tanks, NGO’s and opinion setters. [Read more…] about Fred Weir: Russian news influences
They Slaughtered Ukraine’s Jews and Now You Want To Name Streets After Them? (Lev Golinkin)
Imagine you’re going for a walk in your hometown and, rounding a corner, you encounter a street that has been newly renamed: Adolf Eichmann Road. You’re horrified, of course. Then you learn that your local Jewish leaders did not protest the name change. They supported it. This is more or less what’s happening in Ukraine today.
Stephen F. Cohen: Russiagate’s ‘Core Narrative’ Has Always Lacked Actual Evidence
In these most dangerous of times in US-Russian relations, American politics is consumed by a Russiagate “core narrative” that is essentially a conspiracy theory about an alleged conspiracy.
Trump’s Ukraine Gaffe Actually Makes Some Sense (Leonid Bershidsky)
Donald Trump presents an oversized target for anyone who wants to attack him for poor knowledge of international politics. His most recent remarks on Russia and Ukraine, on ABC’s “This Week,” have again invited sharp criticism…But they are not as ignorant as many think: Like much that Trump says, they represent a politically incorrect dissenting view that bears some analysis.
Lev Golinkin: I Know The Terror Migrant Children Face
The awful night my family crossed the Soviet border is still seared in my mind.