Throughout the Cold War, the superpowers were careful to avoid any such direct engagement with each other, however much they sponsored and equipped armed proxies. That was part of why Carter did not get into a direct military fight in Afghanistan. It would be most unwise to throw away such caution where the Russians are involved today.
Cold War Resurgent: US Nukes Could Soon Return to Europe
It’s been more than three decades since the vast peace protests took over Bonn’s Hofgarten meadow in the early 1980s. Back then, about half a million protesters pushed their way into the city center, a kilometer-long mass of people moving through the streets. It was the biggest rally in the history of the German Federal Republic.
Wilkerson: Trump Attack on Syria Driven by Domestic Politics (Real News)
Lawrence Wilkerson, a retired United States Army soldier and former chief of staff to United States Secretary of State Colin Powell, tells Paul Jay that the Syrian Government may not be responsible for the chemical attack and that Trump’s response was a violation of international law
Russia’s Lethal Nuclear Arsenal Gets an Upgrade: Should NATO Worry?
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave brief remarks at the opening ceremony of ARMY-2015, an exposition where Russia’s defense contractors demonstrated new military technology for foreign weapons buyers…Highlighting several pieces of Russia’s plan to modernize its military, Putin mentioned that, “This year we will supply more than forty new intercontinental ballistic missiles [ICBMs] to our nuclear force.”
This simple statement ignited a minor fervor in NATO countries.
Trump’s Bombing of Syria Spells the Premature End of Détente (James Carden)
President Trump’s decision to launch an air strike on the Al Shayrat airfield in Syria confirms what had been only too obvious in recent weeks, that Trump, far from representing a clean break with the regnant foreign policy orthodoxy of endless military intervention in the Greater Middle East, has instead become captive to it.
NATO: Risk of return to heavy fighting in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin isn’t done using his military in eastern Ukraine, the top U.S. military commander for NATO said Thursday as the U.S. and its allies outlined additional support for Kiev, including aid in defusing roadside bomb
Where Was CIA’s Pompeo on Syria? (Robert Parry)
As President Trump was launching his missile strike against Syria, CIA Director Pompeo and other intelligence officials weren’t at the table, suggesting their doubts about Bashar al-Assad’s guilt, reports Robert Parry.
NATO to triple size of reaction force
NATO announced late Wednesday it will triple the capacity of its Response Force to 40,000 troops…In light of Russia’s involvement in eastern Ukraine and Moscow’s recent decision to upgrade its military, including its nuclear arsenal, NATO is “carefully assessing the implications of what Russia is doing, including its nuclear activities…”
The Pentagon has developed plans for “Saturation Strike” Against Syria (The Intercept)
According to both U.S. military officials, the current proposal would likely result in Russian military deaths and mark a drastic escalation of U.S. force in Syria. One U.S. military official said the decision to allow the strikes, which would kill Russians, signals a significant change in policy by the Trump administration.
Nato to review nuclear weapon policy as attitude to Russia hardens
Nato, in an echo of the cold war, is preparing to re-evaluate its nuclear weapons strategy in response to growing tension with Russia over Ukraine, sources at the organisation have said.
Updating Nato’s nuclear policy would amount to an escalation in tit-for-tat exchanges with Russia since the Ukraine crisis erupted last year.
Obsession With the Russia Connection Is a High-Risk Anti-Trump Strategy (Greg Grandin)
It lets Democrats off the hook for their own failures—and betting the resistance on finding a smoking gun is a fool’s game.
FLASHBACK: 1997. Open Letter to President Clinton on NATO expansion
NATO Defense Ministers begin their 2 day meeting in Brussels today, Wednesday, June 24. To mark the occasion we are publishing the following open letter, sent to President Bill Clinton in 1997, that warned against the policy of NATO expansion. The signatories informed the President that they “believe that the current U.S.-led effort to expand NATO…is a policy error of historic proportions.” The letter was signed by, among others, ACEWA Founding Board Members Sen. Bill Bradley and Amb. Jack Matlock.
Merkel, Trump talk over concerns over Afghanistan, Ukraine (ABC News)
Angela Merkel’s spokesman says the German chancellor has talked with U.S. President Donald Trump, exchanging thoughts on the current situation in Afghanistan and in eastern Ukraine.
FLASHBACK: 1998. George F. Kennan’s warning on NATO expansion
NATO Defense Ministers are meeting in Brussels on June 24-25. To mark the occasion we are publishing George F. Kennan’s May 1998 interview with New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. In it, Kennan foresaw the perils of NATO expansion, telling Friedman “I think it is the beginning of a new cold war…I think it is a tragic mistake.”
US Troops Deployed To Ukraine, Without Debate (Stars and Stripes)
For three years, U.S. Army Europe has been leading an effort to bolster the capability of Ukraine’s armed forces. The effort, initially focused on developing the country’s national guard, has been expanded to include the training of regular active-duty forces.
NATO retools for a long-haul standoff with Russia
From top-level decisions like how NATO orders its troops into action to the very granular, like repainting an airfield near the Baltic Sea coast, the U.S.-led alliance is retooling for what it fears could be years of confrontation with a resurgent and unpredictable Russia.
Terrorism in America? They hate us for our freedom! Terrorism in Russia? They had it coming! (Danielle Ryan)
Mere hours after the blast, commentators were referring to the attack as “blowback” for Russia’s foreign policy. This is not a word you hear frequently in the aftermath of terror attacks on European and American cities — despite decades of Western military intervention in the Middle East, with much of it engendering intense resentment among Arabs and Muslims.
Extended EU-Russia sanctions create risky new status quo
Moscow is preparing to prolong retaliatory measures against the EU, after the bloc extended for six months economic sanctions against Russia, raising the prospect of a frozen conflict in Ukraine that analysts say will damage both sides.
Following the expected June 22 extension decision by the EU foreign ministers…Moscow ministries were instructed to draw up proposals for renewing counter-measures for submission to President Vladimir Putin.
On the Poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko (Katrina vanden Heuvel)
The “poetician, not politician” always seemed conscious of the Russian adage that a great writer is more than a writer—he is a second government.
U.S. Sending Armored Combat Brigade to Europe Amid Russia Tension
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter confirmed Tuesday that the U.S. will deploy one armored combat brigade to Europe, bolstering joint training exercises with NATO partners in an effort to deter Russian aggression in eastern Europe. Carter said the armored brigade will include tanks, artillery and armored vehicles.