The telephone conversation last Saturday between the American and Russian presidents seems to have been amicable and constructive, at least in a general sense. They are reported to have discussed key world issues as potential partners, not as adversaries or enemies.
Leery of Trump No Longer: Official Russia on the Trump-Putin Telephone Call of January 28th (Gilbert Doctorow)
In his 45-minute telephone call with President Putin on Saturday, January 28, Donald Trump appears to have kindled a very respectful and enthusiastic response from Official Russia. By that term, I mean the Kremlin elites in parliament, in the universities and think tanks, in the media upon whom Vladimir Putin depends for nationwide support of…
NATO flexes military muscle near Russia (CNN)
NATO members flexed their military muscle in Russia’s backyard Monday, as allied warships headed toward the Black Sea while American tank fire echoed across Polish plains.
Russia in biggest Arctic military push since fall of the Soviet Union (Independent UK)
The expansion has far-reaching financial and geopolitical ramifications. The Arctic is estimated to hold more hydrocarbon reserves than Saudi Arabia and Moscow is putting down a serious military marker.
Fighting escalates in eastern Ukraine (FT)
Fighting in breakaway eastern regions of Ukraine has escalated, with seven government soldiers and about 15 Russian-backed militants killed in battles near the separatist stronghold of Donetsk, officials said.
U.S. army seeks to cement Trump’s promise to stick by NATO (Reuters)
The presence of 3,500 U.S. soldiers, who will be joined by another 1,600 as well as helicopters and aircraft next month, is part of a wider, multinational build-up of NATO nations.
U.S. soldiers will also deploy to Bulgaria and Romania.
Mikhail Gorbachev: ‘It All Looks as if the World Is Preparing for War’ (TIME)
The world today is overwhelmed with problems. Policymakers seem to be confused and at a loss.
But no problem is more urgent today than the militarization of politics and the new arms race. Stopping and reversing this ruinous race must be our top priority.
A Game of Russian Roulette (Chip Gibbons)
Some blame Trump’s victory on Russian interference. Others question who Trump really takes orders from, implying that it is Russian president Vladimir Putin, not Trump, who will be calling the shots in the White House. Still others decry Trump’s praise for Putin, going so far as to label it “treasonous.”
OPEN MESSAGE FOR PRESIDENTS TRUMP AND PUTIN: YOUR TELEPHONE CALL (JACK MATLOCK)
As one who advised President Reagan on how to end the Cold War, I welcome your plans to discuss US-Russian relations. Relations have reached a state that is dangerous for both our countries and, in fact, the entire world.
Gordon Hahn: Towards a Realist American Russia Policy (Revised Final Edition, Parts 1 and 2)
American foreign policy, especially its Russia policy, is a runaway train without rails, driven by a troubling confluence of hubristic ideological influences and bureaucratized sectoral interests networked through Washington.
Primary Document: Text of Senate Bill S. 94 – A bill to impose sanctions in response to cyber intrusions by the Government of the Russian Federation
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.