Little noted in the press, on January 11, a bipartisan group of US Senators (Ben Cardin, John McCain, Bob Menendez, Lindsey Graham, Jeanne Shaheen, Marco Rubio, Amy Klobuchar, Ben Sasse, Richard Durbin, and Rob Portman) introduced legislation “To impose sanctions in response to cyber intrusions by the Government of the Russian Federation and other aggressive activities of the Russian Federation, and for other purposes.” Read the bill here.
Senator Durbin Calls for Sanctions Against Russia (James Carden)
Portraying Russia’s actions—in the United States and around the globe—in the most ominous terms, Durbin seems intent on foreclosing the possibility of a policy of détente with Russia under President Trump.
PODCAST: Incessant Kremlin-Baiting of President Trump Is a Threat to US National Security (Stephen F. Cohen)
Nation Contributing Editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. Cohen worries that unrelenting allegations that President Trump is a willing or unwilling agent of Putin’s Kremlin — could limit or even cripple his ability to make wise decisions in regard to Russia, even in a dire crisis.
Seymour Hersh Blasts Media On Russian Hacking Story (Jeremy Scahill)
Hersh said many media outlets failed to provide context when reporting on the intelligence assessment made public in the waning days of the Obama administration that was purported to put to rest any doubt that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the hacking of the DNC and Clinton campaign manager John Podesta’s emails.
This Is How the New Cold War Turns Hot (Jeffrey Sommers)
American journalists keep saying Alexander Dugin is Putin’s ideological adviser. One problem: He’s not.
Another Reset with Russia? (Robert Skidelsky)
NATO’s expansion between 1999 and 2004 to include the Baltic states was, in my view, a serious mistake. I remember a leading Russian liberal telling me in the 1990s that a democratic government in Moscow was a much more secure guarantee against Russian adventurism than NATO troops in Vilnius.
Rex Tillerson passes first phase for secretary of state with Senate panel vote (The Guardian)
One of Donald Trump’s most important and precarious cabinet picks, former oil executive Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, was narrowly approved by a Senate committee on Monday as the last Republican holdout in the upper chamber declared his support.
What Trump Gets Right About Russia (Paul Robinson)
Donald Trump’s desire to mend fences with Russia has made him a target of abuse from his political enemies and from the security studies commentariat. But in this regard, Trump is far more sensible than his numerous critics
Will French Presidential Candidate François Fillon Seek Detente With Russia? (Nicolas Vinocur)
Asked why the Républicains party was so keen on Russia, Fillon said: “There is no fascination for Russia on the part of the leaders of my political family. There is just a big sense of historical continuity, as General de Gaulle well understood that peace in Europe relies on having political relations with Russia.”
Letter from Moscow: how the Trump inauguration is being viewed in Russia (Gilbert Doctorow)
The Kremlin is withholding its seal of approval on the incoming Trump administration and is managing the Russian mass media accordingly, writes Gilbert Doctorow from Moscow.
VIDEO: US-Russia Relations in “Most Dangerous Moment” – With Abby Martin and Stephen F. Cohen
Professor Stephen F. Cohen addresses the claim being trumpeted by politicians and media on both sides of the political spectrum that Russia is now the “number one” threat to the United States. Given the proxy wars in Syria and Ukraine, Prof. Cohen tells host Abby Martin that the real danger today is “a new, multi-front Cuban missile crisis.”
Russia takes power-broking role as Syria peace talks to begin in Astana (The Guardian)
Russia is to take the role of Middle East power broker on Monday when it seeks to strengthen the Syrian ceasefire by sponsoring a face-to-face meeting between opposition fighters and representatives of Bashar al-Assad’s government.
McCain and Schumer: Don’t end Russian sanctions without Congress (Politico)
A bipartisan group of senators is seeking to hamstring President Donald Trump from lifting sanctions on Russia without approval from Congress, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. John McCain said Sunday.
The Russian-American ‘Reset’, NATO Expansion, and the Making of the Ukrainian Crisis (Gordon Hahn)
An emerging myth–one being put forward by both present and former U.S. government officials, the DC think tank community, and the media–is that NATO expansion had nothing to do with the making of the Ukrainian crisis and civil war. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Did Progressives and Putin Combine to Defeat Hillary Clinton? (James Carden)
Progressives and anti-war Democrats have been the target of baseless accusations of unpatriotic disloyalty, some of which would be funny, if the stakes weren’t so high. Self-proclaimed leaders of the Trump #Resistance on Twitter are growing increasingly fond of insinuating — and in some cases accusing — those of us who were not “with Her” of being “with” Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Atomic Arsenal Costs Ballooning by Billions of Dollars (Roll Call)
From fiscal 2017 to 2026, it will cost $341.78 billion, including inflation, to buy and sustain new nuclear submarines, aircraft, missiles, bombs, warheads and associated computers, according to the report.
PODCAST: The Fight Over a Trump-Putin Détente Begins (Stephen F. Cohen)
Nation Contributing Editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions, now in their fourth year, about the new US-Russian Cold War. Events this past week make clear that Trump was serious about changing US policy toward Russia, and the enemies of détente know it.
Transcript of interview with Donald Trump (excerpt re: Russia)
Transcript of interview with Donald Trump (excerpt re Russia)
Q: Do you think that what’s happened in Syria now with Putin intervening is a good thing or a bad thing?
Nah, I think it’s a very rough thing. It’s a very bad thing, we had a chance to do something when we had the line in the sand and it wasn’t – nothing happened. [Read more…] about Transcript of interview with Donald Trump (excerpt re: Russia)
How NATO grew fat and Russia took advantage (Michael Brendan Dougherty)
Much of the respectable American news media has fallen for embarrassing rumors of Russian interference and hacking in recent weeks
Hundreds of U.S. Marines land in Norway, irking Russia (Reuters)
Some 300 U.S. Marines landed in Norway on Monday for a six-month deployment, the first time since World War Two that foreign troops have been allowed to be stationed there, in a deployment which has irked Norway’s Arctic neighbor Russia.