If any single arms deal can capture the shifting nature of Russian cooperation in the post-Cold War era, it is the pending sale of S-400 air defense systems to Turkey that now looks increasingly likely to happen.
Today NOV 4: ACEWA EVENT ON CAPITOL HILL – 2pm
The Crisis in US-Russia Relations, from Ukraine to Syria:
Is Congress Overlooking its Causes and Potential Solutions?
Hosted by Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Rep. Ted Yoho, Rep. Charles Rangel, Rep. Steve Cohen, Rep. Jim Himes, Rep. Rick Nolan, Rep. Alan Grayson, Rep. Peter Welch, and Rep. Barbara Lee
Wednesday, November 4, 2015, 2pm
Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2237
Free & Open to the Public | Light Refreshments will be served
Expert Panelists
· Jack F. Matlock, Jr., Ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1987-1991 under President Ronald Reagan and President Bush
· John Pepper, former Chairman and CEO of The Procter & Gamble Company, and former Chairman of Disney and of the Yale Corporation;
· Ellen Mickiewicz, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Political Science at Duke University; and
· Stephen F. Cohen, Professor Emeritus of Russian Studies, History, and Politics at New York University and Princeton University
The Ukrainian crisis represents a low in U.S.-Russian relations not seen since the fall of the Soviet Union—and the recent Russian intervention in the Syrian Civil War is only making things worse. American and Russian jets flying bombing missions in close proximity to one another raises the possibility of a military accident between two nuclear-armed powers. As the New York Times warns, the complicated and shifting landscape of alliances leaves us “edging closer to an all-out proxy war between the United States and Russia.”
The majority of Americans never lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 or the darkest decades of the Cold War—they have led lives without the looming specter of nuclear war. But the areas of conflict between our nations are growing—the conflict in Ukraine, the expansion of NATO, Russia’s involvement in Syria, and other lesser issues are driving a new wedge between the U.S. and Russia.
While most would agree that conflict between the United States and Russia benefits no one, the likelihood of such conflict, as well as the serious consequences it could bring, is not being adequately discussed on Capitol Hill. In the interest of fostering more robust debate on U.S.-Russia relations, Rep. Conyers will convene an informal hearing featuring four eminent American experts on the subject. All four are members of the Board of the recently re-founded American Committee for East-West Accord (https://usrussiaaccord.com) a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose purpose is to promote public discussion and debate about the state of U.S. and Russian relations.
Flashback: Charlie Rose Features Experts on US-Russia Post 9/11 (Air Date 11/5/01)
Professor Stephen Cohen and other experts examine the relationship between President George W. Bush and President Vladmir Putin.
The Origins of Separatism: Popular Grievances in Donetsk and Luhansk
What were the origins of separatism in the Donbas? When the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) were first proclaimed in early April 2014, their provenance was unclear, to put it mildly. Their self-appointed leaders were not well known. The organizations they represented before 2014 could generously be described as politically marginal. And yet, support for separatism in the Donbas began to grow. By the time armed militants began taking over regional government buildings in Donetsk in early April, large crowds accompanied them.
Flashback: 9/11 a ‘turning point’ for Putin (CNN)
Within hours of the attacks on New York and Washington, Russian President Vladimir Putin was on the phone to George W. Bush — the first international leader to call the U.S. president on September 11.
The dangerous work of removing land mines in eastern Ukraine
DONETSK (AFP)–Pro-Russian [sic] rebel Konstantin carefully carried an unexploded shell to a hole in the earth under a tree. Laying a charge of TNT, he then blew it up in cloud of black smoke.
After some 18 months, the fighting in east Ukraine has all but ground to a halt as a ceasefire has largely taken hold over the past six weeks, but for Konstantin dangerous work still lies ahead.
Flashback: U.S.-Russia Relations After September 11, 2001 (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)
U.S.-Russian relations offer one bright counter to this otherwise gloomier international picture.
ISLAMIC STATE ON RECRUITMENT SPREE IN RUSSIA
MAKHACHKALA, Russia (AP) — The Russian province of Dagestan, a flashpoint for Islamic violence in the North Caucasus, is feeding hundreds of fighters to the Islamic State in Syria – and now some are coming back home with experience gained from the battlefield.
Paul Robinson: Notes On a Visit to Sretenskii Monastery
Sretensky monastery is a massive and striking monument to those murdered not just by Stalin’s regime, but also by Lenin’s. With the full personal backing of the Russian president, it repudiates those regimes’s crimes in the most forceful manner.
Robert Parry receives the I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence from Harvard’s Nieman Foundation
On Oct. 22, Consortiumnews Editor Robert Parry received the I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence from Harvard’s Nieman Foundation. Stone was an iconoclastic journalist who published I.F. Stone’s Weekly during the McCarthy era and the Vietnam War, setting a standard for independence that Parry has tried to follow. His remarks are linked here.
Washington Post Op-Ed: Deep U.S.-Russia malaise calls for a liaison between Trump and Congress
Former Senator Sam Nunn and US Energy Secretary Ernest J. Moniz are co-chairmen of the Nuclear Threat Initiative. They write, “As Congress returns from its August recess, U.S.-Russia relations are in a deep ditch. This is a serious challenge for our governments and a danger to the people of both nations and indeed the world.”
Russia declares day of mourning for victims of plane crash in Egypt
Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared Sunday a day of mourning while the authorities have set up an emergency center at the Saint Petersburg airport, where friends and relatives gathered, awaiting news of the victims.
PODCAST: Does Putin Really Want to ‘Destabilize the West’? (Stephen F. Cohen)
BREAKING: US and Russia agree to work for ‘nationwide ceasefire’ in Syria
America and Russia agreed to work towards a “nationwide ceasefire” between Syria’s regime and opposition groups on Friday when every foreign power with any involvement in the civil war met for the first time.
Vladimir Putin’s news conference following BRICS Summit (Johnson’s Russia List)
Vladimir Putin answered Russian journalists’ questions following his visit to China to take part in the BRICS Summit. [Read more…] about Vladimir Putin’s news conference following BRICS Summit (Johnson’s Russia List)
How Ukraine Is Forgetting Its Most Desperate Citizens
As victims of persecution and war, refugees are an extremely vulnerable population — but at least they fall under an internationally recognized protected category. What about those forcibly displaced people who do not fit under this legal definition? In Ukraine, where armed conflict between the military and pro-Russian separatists in the occupied east continues despite ceasefires, massive displacement is quickly leading to a major humanitarian crisis. What’s more, Ukraine’s displaced people have lost not only their homes but also many of their civil rights (including, most ominously, the right to vote). This is grim news for the country’s fragile democratic transition.
Hannah Gais: Who’s Afraid of the Russian Soul?
Today’s amateur Kremlinologists are keyboard ninjas with high-volume Twitter accounts and enough social media smarts to hijack the airwaves for their own puerile observations.
Senators back new financial support for Ukraine
Congress backs administration drive to send taxpayer money to fund the new Ukrainian oligarchy. According to a report in The Hill: “Two bipartisan senators are backing the administration’s decision to move forward with a third $1 billion in loan guarantees to the Ukrainian government. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said that he was “pleased” with the administration’s decision, suggesting it could help bolster the U.S.-Ukrainian relationship.”
US News and World Report: Germany Welcomes Russia’s Call for UN Ukraine Peacekeepers
President Vladimir Putin says Russia will ask the U.N. Security Council to send peacekeepers to patrol the front line in eastern Ukraine.
REMINDER: ACEWA Event on Capitol Hill on Nov 4 at 2pm
The Crisis in US-Russia Relations, from Ukraine to Syria:
Is Congress Overlooking its Causes and Potential Solutions?
Hosted by Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Rep. Ted Yoho, Rep. Charles Rangel, Rep. Steve Cohen, Rep. Jim Himes, Rep. Rick Nolan, Rep. Alan Grayson, Rep. Peter Welch, and Rep. Barbara Lee
Wednesday, November 4, 2015, 2pm
Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2237
Free & Open to the Public | Light Refreshments will be served
Expert Panelists
· Jack F. Matlock, Jr., Ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1987-1991 under President Ronald Reagan and President Bush· John Pepper, former Chairman and CEO of The Procter & Gamble Company, and former Chairman of Disney and of the Yale Corporation;· Ellen Mickiewicz, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Political Science at Duke University; and· Stephen F. Cohen, Professor Emeritus of Russian Studies, History, and Politics at New York University and Princeton UniversityThe Ukrainian crisis represents a low in U.S.-Russian relations not seen since the fall of the Soviet Union—and the recent Russian intervention in the Syrian Civil War is only making things worse. American and Russian jets flying bombing missions in close proximity to one another raises the possibility of a military accident between two nuclear-armed powers. As the New York Times warns, the complicated and shifting landscape of alliances leaves us “edging closer to an all-out proxy war between the United States and Russia.”
The majority of Americans never lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 or the darkest decades of the Cold War—they have led lives without the looming specter of nuclear war. But the areas of conflict between our nations are growing—the conflict in Ukraine, the expansion of NATO, Russia’s involvement in Syria, and other lesser issues are driving a new wedge between the U.S. and Russia.
While most would agree that conflict between the United States and Russia benefits no one, the likelihood of such conflict, as well as the serious consequences it could bring, is not being adequately discussed on Capitol Hill. In the interest of fostering more robust debate on U.S.-Russia relations, Rep. Conyers will convene an informal hearing featuring four eminent American experts on the subject. All four are members of the Board of the recently re-founded American Committee for East-West Accord (https://usrussiaaccord.com) a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose purpose is to promote public discussion and debate about the state of U.S. and Russian relations.