The SMM observed more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer ceasefire violations in Luhansk region compared with the previous day. The Mission continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and noted heavy weapons in violation of withdrawal lines. The SMM also noted armoured combat vehicles in the security zone.
Paul Pillar: Non-Accomplishment in Syria
The missile strike against Syria in response to an alleged chemical attack has given many people a cathartic moment without having to produce any new and effective ideas about how to deal with the ugly conflict in Syria.
The Bigger Nuclear Risk: Trump or Clinton? (Robert Parry)
If the U.S. election comes down to Hillary Clinton v. Donald Trump, the American people will have to decide between two candidates who could risk the future of the planet, albeit for very different reasons, writes Robert Parry.
Michael Lind: Trump in a New Cold War
Jacob Heilbrunn and Michael Lind discuss the new Cold War of America vs. Russia and China.
A New-Old Plan to Save the World … That Has No Hope of Saving the World (Stephen Walt)
Why a big-name D.C.-based think tank’s report on U.S. foreign policy is unimaginative, predictably U.S.-centric, and a recipe for failure.
James Carden: Trump Just Launched Another Illegal Attack Against Syria
With these latest strikes, the administration is putting the US on the wrong side of international law and is running the risk of a hot war with Russia and Iran over a chemical weapons attack about which we still have little evidence.
Ukraine honors nationalists whose troops butchered Jews (Jewish Telegraph Agency)
Amid a divisive debate in Ukraine on state honors for nationalists viewed as responsible for anti-Semitic pogroms, the country for the first time observed a minute of silence in memory of Symon Petliura, a 1920s statesman blamed for the murder of 50,000 Jewish compatriots.
Ray McGovern: Attacking Syria: Thumbing Noses at Constitution and Law
It was a sad spectacle to see U.S. brass rubbishing the Constitution and trying to silence critics of the U.S. strike on Syria, says Ray McGovern in this commentary.
Cold War 2.0 Heats Up in Run Up To NATO Summit (Defense News)
NATO is looking at placing four battalions of troops along its eastern flank with Russia, one each in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The placement of such troops — likely a rotational force — is expected to be one of the announcements to come out of the July 8-9 Warsaw summit.
VIDEO: Stephen F. Cohen and Tucker Carlson: Will U.S. action in Syria lead to conflict with Russia?
“It is a deeply held belief—whether they’re right or wrong—in the Kremlin, in the Russian political class, that the United States, our country, has waged political, diplomatic, economic war against Russia for at least ten years and the attitude in Moscow expressed daily is that ‘we’ve had enough,’” said Cohen.
PODCAST: Stalin Resurgent, Again (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.) This week’s installment focuses on the upsurge of pro-Stalin sentiments in Russia as reflected in recent public opinion surveys, nearly 60 percent now viewing him as a positive figure in Russian history.
Paul Robinson: Unprecedented Destruction
Throughout the civil war in Syria, and particularly since the Russian Federation became involved, we have bombarded with complaints about the particularly barbaric methods of war used by the Syrian Arab Army and the Russians.
Russia’s got a point: The U.S. broke a NATO promise (LA Times Op-Ed)
Europe’s stability may depend just as much on the West’s willingness to reassure Russia about NATO’s limits as on deterring Moscow’s adventurism.
Daniel Larison: The Legal ‘Arguments’ for Attacking Syria Are Preposterous
The “arguments” being put forward by U.S. officials and others to justify an attack on Syria are as ludicrous as you would expect…
Step-by-Step Rapprochement: Germany Considers Easing of Russia Sanctions (Der Spiegel)
Standing tough on Russia remains official policy, but Germany has begun working on the careful easing of sanctions imposed following Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine. The US is opposed, but many in the EU could support the new approach.
Douglas MacGregor: Trump Can’t Alter Syria’s Future
The advocates for military action include the usual suspects.
US Exceptionalism Has No Place in a Multipolar World (Robert Shines)
With the end of the Cold War twenty-five years ago, many in the U.S have taken the country’s continued global hegemony for granted. However, this state of affairs is increasingly being challenged by both Russia and China, exemplified by their aerial flybys and interceptions of the US military within their respective regions.
VIDEO: Stephen F. Cohen Talks the Crisis in US-Russian Relations
Sky News Australia hosts Ross Cameron and Rowan Dean chat to Emeritus Professor Stephen F. Cohen (Princeton and NYU) on the Skripal poisoning, the expulsion of Russian diplomats, NATO, Syria, Putin’s agenda and Hippocratic Oath. “They say Putin personally directed this – I can’t think of a single motive…” said Cohen.
The Renegade General Who Believes Hiroshima Could Happen Again (R. Jeffrey Smith)
In his speech, President Obama called again for a world without nuclear weapons. But former SAC commander George Lee Butler says U.S. policy has mostly heightened the danger.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to President Trump: Do Not Strike Syria
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard today called for President Trump to refrain from using military action against Syria that would expand and escalate the conflict, and likely result in additional civilian and military casualties, more refugees, and fewer resources to invest in rebuilding American communities, and instead work toward peace.