Putin again had some interesting things to say, though one could scarcely glean this from Western press reports, and certainly not from the US media. Beelzebub is never deserving of serious attention.
Russia and the Saudis: A 10-billion barrel game of oil bluff (CNBC)
As oil prices continue to cause market uncertainty, and with low fuel prices wreaking havoc on some countries’ economies, notably Russia’s, the world’s top oil producer has been at the forefront of trying to figure out whether or not a production cut should be implemented in order to support and stabilize prices.
Leonid Nersisyan: If the INF Treaty Dies, America and Russia Could See an Arms Race
The United States and Russia have been accusing one another of violating the INF Treaty in recent years.
The Obama Administration Has Just Recklessly Escalated Its Military Confrontation With Russia (Stephen F Cohen)
Nation contributing editor and ACEWA Founding Board Member Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold war. This installment focuses on the Pentagon’s announcement that it will quickly quadruple the positioning of US-NATO heavy military weapons and troops near Russia’s eastern borders. The result, Cohen argues, will further militarize the new Cold War, making it more confrontational and likely to lead to actual war with Russia. The move is unprecedented in modern times.Except during Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, Western military power has never been positioned so close to Russia, making the new Cold War even more dangerous than was the preceding one. Russia will certainly react, probably by moving more of its own heavy weapons, including new missiles, to its Western borders, possibly along with a large number of its tactical nuclear weapons. The latter reminds us, Cohen points out, that a new and more dangerous US-Russian nuclear arms race has been under way for several years, which the Obama Administration’s decision can only intensify. The decision will also have other woeful consequences, undermining ongoing negotiations by Secretary of State Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov for cooperation on the Ukrainian and Syrian crises and further dividing Europe itself, which is far from united on Washington’s increasingly hawkish approach to Moscow.
Cohen ends by expressing despair that these ongoing developments have been barely reported in the US media and publicly debated not at all, not even by current presidential candidates and the moderators of their “debates.” Never before has such a dire international situation been so ignored in an American presidential campaign. The reason may be, Cohen adds, that everything that has happened since the Ukrainian crisis erupted in November 2013 has been blamed solely on the “aggression” of Russian President Putin—a highly questionable assertion and media-policy narrative.
Paul Robinson: Sanctions, The Evidence
I have acquired a copy of a recent report which analyzes the effect of sanctions on the Russian economy. I thought, therefore, that I should share the report’s conclusions with you.
The Big 5 and the Sad State of Foreign Policy in 2016 (Stephen Walt)
According to Prof. Stephen Walt, one of the many problems with Hillary Clinton is that “Clinton and her advisors are deeply committed to the familiar strategy of liberal hegemony the United States has followed ever since the end of the Cold War.”
Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor: Why Russians Think ‘America Is Waging War Against Russia’
Russiagaters allege, with no evidence, that “Russia attacked America” in 2016, but many Russians believe-with reasonable cause-that the US has been attacking their country for 25 years.
After four months, Russia’s campaign in Syria is proving successful for Moscow (WaPo)
Under the banner of fighting international terrorism, President Vladimir Putin has reversed the fortunes of forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which were rapidly losing ground last year to moderate and Islamist rebel forces in the country’s five-year-old crisis.
Daniel Ellsberg: The United States and Russia each have an actual Doomsday Machine
From The Doomsday Machine, which was published this month by Bloomsbury. The book is an account of America’s nuclear program in the 1960s drawn from Ellsberg’s experience as a consultant to the Department of Defense and the White House, drafting Secretary Robert McNamara’s plans for nuclear war.
Ukraine’s Poroshenko sees increased risk of open war with Russia (Reuters)
The risk of open war between Russia and Ukraine is greater than it was a year ago and Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun an “information war” against Germany, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told the German newspaper Bild.
Gordon Hahn: The Threat to Freedom of Speech in Rusology
The following seems to be a rather ominous development for freedom of speech in academia and journalism an attempt to discredit all dissenters from the Washington consensus on Russia.
Ways out of a blind alley in Ukraine (Deutsche Welle)
Almost one year after the Minsk agreement to resolve the Ukraine crisis, diplomats are working frantically behind the scenes but the two sides are still entrenched. DW’s Frank Hofmann reports from Kyiv.
Eion Higgins: Russia or Corporate Tax Cuts: Which Would Comcast Rather MSNBC Cover?
Along with that concentration on Russia comes the deprioritization of the real-world effects of the Trump presidency and active political efforts to oppose them…
Russia Says State Asset Sales Will Be Open to Foreign Investors (Bloomberg)
Foreign investors will be able to buy stakes in Russian state companies, the Kremlin said, though President Vladimir Putin’s made no final decision on the extent of a privatization program.
Jeremy Corbyn’s Geneva Speech
British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn spoke in Geneva in honor of International Human Rights Day.
Pentagon unveils budget priority for next year: Countering Russia and China (WaPo)
The Pentagon will unveil a proposal this week to boost spending on advanced weaponry and the U.S. footprint in Europe, part of a plan to refocus the defense budget to counter technological and military advances by Russia and China.
Gordon Hahn: Who Got Syria Wrong and Who Got It Right
From the start the Obama neolib-necon narrative that at the root of the anti-Assad uprising was simply a peaceful expression of deep Syrian democratic aspirations proved a false one-just as did during Western regime change efforts in Iraq, Egypt, Libya and Ukraine.
Ukraine plans to join fight against Isis means troops could come up against Russian forces in Syria (Independent)
Ukraine has drawn up plans for a potential military contribution to the fight against Isis in Syria in a move that could also pit its troops against Russian forces in the Middle East.
Gilbert Doctorow: Speech to The National Press Club
…a country which appears to be unable to govern itself is hardly the exemplar and all-powerful state suitable to govern the rest of the world.
Turkey says Russia violated its airspace near Syria border (BBC)
Turkey has accused Russia of again violating its airspace and warned it would “face consequences” if such infringements continue.
The foreign ministry said a Russian jet flew into its airspace on the border with Syria on Friday. Moscow described the claim as “baseless propaganda”.