A chilling political wind is blowing through the capitals of America, Europe and Russia.
On the Incipient Cold War between NATO and Russia in the Balkans (Filip Kovacevic, PhD)
For about two decades, it appeared that the end of the Cold War in Europe left the Balkan states with no long-term geostrategic option except the so-called Euro-Atlantic integrations underwritten by the ideology known as Atlanticism.
Michael Andrei: Seeing the world through Russian eyes
Molly Anderson’s Russian connection changed her life.
Polish schoolchildren offered Nato lessons (FT)
As if more evidence were needed that Cold War 2.0 is well underway, the FT reports that “Alongside classes in civic studies and national history, Polish schoolchildren have a new subject to fit into their timetables: Nato lessons. For the next two months, the government plans to give Polish schools the option of teaching up to four hours a week of classes on the world’s most powerful military alliance — and the benefits that Poland derives from being a member of it.”
Mary Dejevsky: Russia and Abroad Over the Next Five Years
It is always tempting to be captured by the moment, to see everything through the prism of now, without realising that the circumstances of today may be the exception and not the rule.
Sanctions On Russia Not Going Away Anytime Soon (Kenneth Rapoza)
The Russians will blame Ukraine. The Europeans will blame the Russians. Meanwhile, market consensus seems to have gotten this one right. No, Russian sanctions are not going to get lifted in July as a few contrarians believed in January.
Review Essay: Grand Flattery: The Yale Grand Strategy Seminar
To mark the publication of John Lewis Gaddis’ new book On Grand Strategy, we are running a link to Thomas Meaney and Stephen Wertheim’s review of some of Gaddis’ other work, including his 2011 biography of George F. Kennan, which first appeared in The Nation.
NATO, Russia and the lost art of diplomacy (Fiona Clark)
A former NATO leader says there is a real risk of war with Russia as early as 2017. Arm up or face the consequences is the advice. Whatever happened to diplomacy, asks Fiona Clark?
Who’s Responsible For The New Cold War? An Interview With Renowned Russia Expert Stephen Cohen
Many in the United States believe Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential elections and that its president, Vladimir Putin, is a cold-blooded killer. Stephen Cohen – arguably the country’s greatest expert on Russia – is not convinced.
U.S. and NATO should End New Cold War with Russia (Doug Bandow)
The NATO-Russia Council recently met in Brussels for the first time in nearly two years. “We are not afraid of dialogue,” announced alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Alas, the talks didn’t get very far. Afterward he explained: “it was reconfirmed that we disagree on the facts, on the narrative and the responsibilities in and around Ukraine.” Indeed, he added, “there were profound disagreements.”
Patrick Cockburn: Survivors of the Syrian Wars
There will have to be a new balance of powers not just between local actors but between their foreign sponsors: the US, which has provided air support for the Kurds since 2014; Russia, which has done the same for Assad since 2015; and Turkey, which now has a powerful military force in northern Syria.
PODCAST: Sec. Chuck Hagel Speaks to the Carnegie Council
Drawing on decades of experience, ACEWA Board Member and former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel gives a masterly and frank analysis of world events. He discusses current U.S. politics–he’s confident that the Constitution will see America through–the nuclear deal with Iran, the melting in the Arctic and resulting “Great Game of the North,” China’s power play in the South China Sea, and much more.
Katya Tikhonyuk: Limitations of an English-Speaking Reader: The Yarovaya Law, Meduza, and News Media Bias
Preoccupied with George Orwell’s “Big Brother” narrative, Western Media aims at portraying the new anti-terrorist legislation as an alarming and unequivocally backward movement on the part of the Russian government.
US rejects Russia proposal for joint Syria air strikes (Al Jazeera)
The United States has rejected a Russian proposal to carry out joint air strikes against armed opposition groups in Syria. “We do not collaborate or coordinate with the Russians on any operations in Syria,” Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis told reporters on Friday, explaining that Washington and Moscow have separate military objectives.
Ellie Mae O’Hagan: Once again, Boris Johnson is a liability to Britain.
Surely one of the most basic requirements of being foreign secretary is not lying on the international stage and deteriorating relations with other countries?
First they came for the Left: Poland’s Undemocratic Turn (Peter S Rieth)
Arguing in favor of the American constitution, our founder James Madison wrote: “Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an element without which it instantly expires. But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency.” Americans understand this instinctively. [Read more…] about First they came for the Left: Poland’s Undemocratic Turn (Peter S Rieth)
Katrina vanden Heuvel: Why the New Cold War Is So Dangerous
Diplomacy, as history teaches us, is absolutely essential in the relations between rival superpowers bristling with thousands of thermonuclear weapons.
The Fifth Annual Moscow Conference on International Security (David Speedie)
ACEWA Board Member David Speedie attended a three-day Conference on International Security in Moscow and reports that “a global array of speakers articulated a corresponding range of country/area-specific concerns, much of which was familiar but nevertheless important to hear.” More than 600 official delegates from 83 countries attended – yet representatives from the U.S. and U.K. were notably absent.
Lev Golinkin: When we can’t agree to fight against neo-Nazis, we’ve reached a new low
Have we reached a juncture at which a lawmaker must defend himself for removing weapons of war from white supremacists? Has dialogue in America degraded to the point where Russia can be used to attack people for fighting anti-Semitism?
The Danger of Demonization (Robert Parry)
As the West is sucked deeper into the Syrian conflict and starts a new Cold War with Russia, the mainstream news media has collapsed as a vehicle for reliable information, creating a danger for the world, writes Robert Parry.