Russian president led to believe Partnership for Peace was alternative to expanded NATO Documents show early Russian opposition to “neo-containment;” more U.S. assurances to Russia: “inclusion not exclusion” in new European security structures.
Russia scolds Britain for saying the Kremlin dreams of Brexit (Reuters)
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said last week that the only country wanting Britain to the leave the EU was Russia and Prime Minister David Cameron has said what he termed Putin’s aggression makes this no time to drop out of the EU. “Russia is being dragged into the domestic debate on Brexit,” the Russian embassy in London said in a statement. “Why is the wicked Russia thesis used to explain a Government policy?”
Robert Wright: Overdoing the Russia Thing
I hate to obsess over the Resistance’s obsession with this whole Russia thing, but: This week brought (1) a fresh reminder that Russia is far from the only country whose influence on American politics bears watching; and (2) a reminder of the (as economists say) “opportunity cost” of spending so much time watching Russia. [Read more…] about Robert Wright: Overdoing the Russia Thing
Republicans Don’t Want to Know Costs of U.S. Nuclear Arsenal (The Intercept)
Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives have lined up to quietly kill a cost estimate of the Pentagon’s three-decade nuclear modernization program, which experts predict will exceed $1 trillion.
William Jay Risch: Turning a protest into (someone else’s) metaphysics
A new account of Ukraine’s Euromaidan focuses on the spirit of revolution rather than dissecting events as they emerged.
U.S. Ally Japan Pursues Russian Friendship (WSJ)
As the U.S. presses tight sanctions on Moscow, it might seem quixotic for one of America’s staunchest allies to seek closer ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But that is the balancing act Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is trying to pull off.
William Courtney: Putin can learn from Gorbachev on how to gain from future US talks
Vladimir Putin has won a flawed election to a fourth term as Russia’s president, and Donald Trump has suggested the two will likely meet soon. For the Kremlin leader, however, a summit may draw shortcomings into sharper relief.
Ukraine’s displaced people: Status unknown (Vitalii Atanasov)
Two years have passed since the first internally displaced people (IDPs) appeared in Ukraine. Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014, some residents of the peninsula fled to mainland Ukraine…A much greater influx of refugees began later that summer, when the military conflict began in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine.
Vladimir Brovkin: The Man Who Made Russia Great Again (excerpt)
In the discussion of the results of the Presidential elections in Russia, Sen. John McCain claimed the result was an insult to all Russians. [Read more…] about Vladimir Brovkin: The Man Who Made Russia Great Again (excerpt)
Why Ukraine’s NATO membership is not in America’s interests (Josh Cohen)
The United States-Russia relationship is already in bad shape, and U.S. diplomats are hurting it further by sending conflicting messages about Ukraine’s future relationship with NATO.
Stephen F. Cohen: Russia Endorses Putin as Trusted Leader While Washington and London Condemn Him (Again)
Some reflections on the Russian presidential election and on the Sergei Skripal case.
Fighting for Concessions in the Ukrainian Conflict (STRATFOR)
A May 1 cease-fire in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian security forces and pro-Russia separatists is largely holding, for now. The cease-fire is likely Moscow’s last chance to demonstrate its intent to meet the security components of the Minsk protocols before the European Union reviews its sanctions on Russia in July. However, Kiev’s desire to eradicate political infighting and maintain its Western support against Russia may keep Ukraine from fully implementing the cease-fire unless Russia makes more security concessions.
Gerald Easter: Russia’s Presidential Election: Meaning and Response
Russia’s presidential election this past week offers a new opportunity for Western politicians and journalists to castigate the Putin regime. The occasion prompted an improvised litmus test for Western leaders and governments on whether they should offer congratulations to the Russian president. [Read more…] about Gerald Easter: Russia’s Presidential Election: Meaning and Response
PODCAST: Is War With Russia Possible? (Stephen F. Cohen)
Nation Contributing Editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions—after a two-week “sabbatical”—about the new US–Russian Cold War. (Previous installments are at TheNation.com.) Cohen laments that during the past two weeks the Obama administration appears to have been undermining cooperation with Moscow on three Cold War fronts. [Read more…] about PODCAST: Is War With Russia Possible? (Stephen F. Cohen)
Mary Dejevsky: Unanswered Questions Linger Over Salisbury Poisoning
Now it does not take much imagination to see a Russian hand behind what would appear to have been a botched attempt to kill 66-year-old Sergei Skripal and perhaps his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia, too. Even if you accept that, however, the question is whose Russian hand, and why?
Who Started the Second Cold War? (Patrick Buchanan)
Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work announced that 4,000 NATO troops, including two U.S. battalions, will be moved into Poland and the Baltic States, right on Russia’s border. “The Russians have been doing a lot of snap exercises right up against the border with a lot of troops,” says Work, who calls this “extraordinarily provocative behavior.”But how are Russian troops deploying inside Russia “provocative,” while U.S. troops on Russia’s front porch are not?
Amb. Tony Brenton: Despite the Salisbury attack, Britain can’t cut off all links with Russia
The safety of the people is the highest law, said Cicero. He was right. And it is a core duty of the British government to deal effectively with a nerve gas attack on our streets, which has seriously incapacitated three people and endangered many more.
Defining a New Security Architecture for Europe (John J. Mearsheimer)
John Mearsheimer discusses what he considers to be the failings of US-NATO policy since the end of the Cold War. Note to readers: The piece begins on page 27 in the PDF which the link will bring you to.
Daniel McLaughlin: ‘Ukraine’s Joan of Arc’ accused of plotting parliament massacre
While calling the allegations against her politically motivated, she also urged Ukrainians to “overthrow the criminal authorities of Poroshenko”. “Now there are many servicemen who hear me, who agree that a military coup in Ukraine is a quite expected and probably quite correct event,” she said
Syria conflict: Russia hopes to extend truce to Aleppo (BBC)
Russia’s foreign minister says a unilateral truce declared by the Syrian military could be extended to the city of Aleppo “in the next few hours”.