American Committee for US-Russia Accord

Q: Is NATO expansion needlessly provocative?

SFC: I think it’s disastrous for American-Russian relations. If it weren’t for the war in Iraq, we would understand that Russia is still our No. 1 national-security concern. Only Russia has the weapons that could destroy us. It has a vast share of the world’s energy. Russia sits at the crossroads between Judeo-Christian and Islamic civilizations. It’s also the world’s first- or second-largest exporter of weapons, and its capacity for good or mischief is enormous. Remember, too, that George H.W. Bush promised Gorbachev in 1991 that if Soviet Russia agreed to allow a united Germany in NATO, NATO would not move one inch to the east. Beginning with President Clinton, we have repeatedly violated that promise.

Americans have suffered quite a lot as a result of the hubris displayed by their elites in the thirty years since the fall of the Soviet Union. Let us hope that this leads to a better understanding of the world, and of themselves.

Tragedy of Ukraine crisis is how both sides seemed trapped within self-defeating policies.

Nationalism, ultimately that of the Russian variety, led to the break-up of the Soviet Union. To this day, it is the Russians, ironically, who have come to regret the USSR passing into history the most.

Ambassador Jack Matlock has done us a great service by reminding us of Ukraine’s regional diversity, for without it we could not understand why the fundamental principle underlying the Minsk-II Accords is to grant Crimea “special status” or regional autonomy.

His Way: Remembering Stephen Cohen (Его Путь: Вспоминая Стивена Коэна) is a collection of letters, stories, and reminiscences of the scholarly and personal life of Stephen F. Cohen who passed away on September 18th, 2020. The compilation was a project of his wife of over 30 years, Katrina vanden Heuvel, and the Russian editor Gennady Bordyugov.

The book begins with an introduction by vanden Heuvel and Bordyugov, who highlight the importance of alternatives in both shaping, and directing, the path Professor Cohen took throughout his career in Soviet and Russian studies. The inclusion of a letter by former General Secretary of the Soviet Union and the first and only President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev is noteworthy. Those who know anything about Professor Cohen are aware of the critical role Mr. Gorbachev played in his life–and the role Professor Cohen played in his.

Mr. Gorbachev’s words regarding Professor Cohen’s passing hold much weight: “He was one of the closest people to me in his views and understanding of the enormous events that occurred in the late 1980s in Russia and changed the world.”

The GOP senator has swapped his hold on Biden’s ambassadors for a vote on more sanctions for Russia over Nord Stream 2.

Saakashvili thought Washington had his back, but just like today, the hawks made promises that cooler heads wouldn’t back up.