Is Putin really a “pariah” and Russia “isolated from the international community”?
Ukraine conflict: UN accuses both sides of abuses (Al Jazeera)
Both sides of the conflict in Ukraine are guilty of indiscriminately shelling civilian areas and carrying out summary executions of both combatants and civilians, according to a new report released by the United Nations.
Lee Smith: The Maltese Phantom of Russiagate
In the shifting narratives of the Trump-Russia probe, a Maltese academic named Joseph Mifsud has remained a linchpin regarding claims of collusion.
Russia offers plan to improve air safety over Baltics (WaPo)
Russian diplomats on Wednesday offered a new plan to improve safety in the air over the Baltics in a rare meeting with NATO ambassadors, a small but significant step to ease tensions amid a troop buildup on both sides of the bristling NATO-Russia border.
ESPN: Nizhny Novogorod, a ‘closed’ city, is ready for a World Cup party
This is the first in a series of ESPN essays profiling all of the cities set to host World Cup games this summer.
Russophobia and the dark art of making an anti-Russian magazine cover (Dominic Basulto)
Chances are, if a story about Russia appears on the cover of a major Western magazine, it’s not good news. Most likely, there’s been an international scandal, a breakout of geopolitical tensions, the resumption of Cold War hostilities, or some nefarious Russian plot to bring the entire free world to its knees.
Margot Cleveland: It’s Time To Admit The Russia Investigation Was Illegitimate From The Start
While claims that the FBI properly inquired of connections between the Trump campaign and Russia were valid to a point, that point has long since passed.
The militarisation of Europe is a far greater threat than Brexit (Irish Independent)
It is as misconceived as austerity and authoritarianism, which are at the heart of the European crisis. But it is infinitely more dangerous. If the Chilcot Report on the war in Iraq proves anything, it is that the momentum towards armed conflict, once started, becomes difficult to contain.
Roger Kimball: For your eyes only: A short history of Democrat-spy collusion
It looks now as if those responsible for this effort to undermine American democracy and repeal the results of a free, open, and democratic election will be exposed. Let’s hope that they are also held to account.
The West escalates with Russia: Make no mistake, a second Cold War is now official NATO policy (Patrick Lawrence)
The NATO convention concluded last week was a standout – easily the most important of the post-Cold War era. We must not miss its meaning. NATO summits may not be your taste, and who can fault anyone for this? But Warsaw has everything to do with the life you will live in coming years.
Paul Robinson: Dirty Money, Dirty Politics
A week ago, the British House of Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs issued a report entitled ‘Moscow’s Gold: Russian Corruption in the UK.’ Given the title, one might imagine that this was all about corruption and the role played by Russian ‘dirty money’ in the British economy.
INTERVIEW: Kremlin foreign policy advisor Sergey Karaganov speaks with SPIEGEL about the risk of war.
Spiegel interviews Sergey Karaganov, the honorary head of the influential Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, which develops geopolitical strategy concepts for Russia. In May, the council issued new foreign policy premises. The council includes politicians, economists and former military and intelligence officers.
James Carden: The Cold War Culture War
Putin’s Russia – conservative and predominantly Orthodox Christian – today serves as a kind of all-purpose bogeyman for young journalists-on-the-make and for opportunistic politicians looking to cash in on the current hysteria.
Is NATO part of the solution or is it the problem? (Ed Lozansky)
The next president needs to reexamine the U.S. commitment to NATO with an eye to reforming an alliance put together to contend with a threat far different than the one it confronted after World War II, writes American University in Moscow president Edward Lozansky.
Jeremy Kuzmarov: Michael McFaul’s ‘From Cold War to Hot Peace’
McFaul’s book presents a misreading of Russia that will make future relations only more challenging.
PODCAST: Can Europe Stop Washington’s Military Provocations on Russia’s Borders? (Stephen F. Cohen)
Nation Contributing Editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussion of the new US-Russian Cold War. (Previous installments are at TheNation.com.) Cohen characterizes last week’s NATO Summit in Warsaw as another step in the militarization of the new Cold War and indeed just short of a declaration of war against Russia.
Center for the National Interest: Former CIA Officials Assess Russia
The Center for the National Interest brought former CIA officials together to examine the state of American analysis of Russia.
As Kerry pushes for coordination with Russia in Syria, others in administration cry foul (Washington Post)
As Secretary of State John Kerry searches for a common ground with Russia regarding Syria, anonymous voices within the administration join a chorus of former officials outside the administration in trying to undercut his diplomatic efforts, as shown in this report by Karen DeYoung.
Stephen F. Cohen: Intel ‘Informants’ and ‘Suspicious Contacts’ Echo Dark Pasts
McCarthyism and firsthand recollections of Soviet surveillance practices.
Warsaw Summit Communiqué (NATO)
The text of the NATO Warsaw Summit Communique declares, among other things, that “the Alliance does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia. But we cannot and will not compromise on the principles on which our Alliance and security in Europe and North America rest. NATO will continue to be transparent, predictable and resolute.”