Obama’s ambitious nuclear agenda was blocked in part by the resistance of the nuclear bureaucracy, including some of his own appointees. If Biden wants to transform policy, he must appoint transformers.
Nicolai N. Petro: Tragedy, Dialogue, and Politics: Applying Tragedy’s Therapy to Russian Relations with the West
When we refer to something as a tragedy, we typically mean that something bad has happened over which we have no control. It is precisely our powerlessness to change these circumstances that we deem “tragic.”
For the ancient Greeks, however, tragedy is something that human beings create by virtue of their obtuseness. The gods set up the conditions of our existence, but it is our own pride and arrogance that lead us to make choices that give offense to others and that spark their desire for revenge. Tragedy is thus not fated. It is something we have the power to mitigate, once we recognize our own role in creating it. [Read more…] about Nicolai N. Petro: Tragedy, Dialogue, and Politics: Applying Tragedy’s Therapy to Russian Relations with the West
Doug Bandow: Joe Biden Needs A Pivot To A Humbler Foreign Policy
The past 20 years have brought little except failure and destruction. Rather than listen to Antony Blinken, Biden should change.
James E. Doyle: How Biden can achieve a first in arms control: A verifiable nuclear warhead freeze
Nuclear arms control agreements up to now have only directly limited the nuclear warhead delivery vehicles (land-based missiles, submarine-based missiles, and aircraft) and not the warheads themselves.
The Hill: No news is fit to print about Rep. Eric Swalwell and a Chinese spy
This is the same lawmaker who told MSNBC that Trump “is working on behalf of the Russians” and used his position on the Intel Committee to imply that he had evidence to back up such information. That evidence has yet to be presented, because it doesn’t exist.
VIDEO: Panel Discussion: What Russia’s past tells us about Russia today
This is the second in a series of online discussions sponsored by the Simone Weil Center for Political Philosophy. Panelists Nicolai Petro, Susannah Black, Paul Grenier, Matthew Dal Santo, Michael Martin, and Vasily Shchipkov consider what Russia’s past tells us about Russia today. What is Russia? What in its tradition – despite, perhaps because of, its differences from our own – calls forth our respect? What doesn’t? While the greatness of Russian art, thought and literature is widely acknowledged, it is less often granted that Russia forms a distinct civilization. And yet, increasingly, this is what Russians themselves believe.
VIDEO: Lawrence Wilkerson and Aaron Mate on Biden’s pro-war cabinet
Col. Lawrence Wilkerson assesses President-elect Joe Biden’s “national security” picks, including Gen. Lloyd Austin for Secretary of Defense and Anthony Blinken for Secretary of State. “I don’t see a different kind of administration being formed,” Wilkerson says. “And it disturbs me because it just means more of the same – a little more calmness, a little more serenity, which lulls everyone into thinking that things are better, when in fact they’re not.”
Victor Gilinsky: Nuclear risks are growing, and there’s only one real solution
It’s easy to put nuclear weapons out of mind, to let sleeping dogs lie. The weapons play essentially no role in day-to-day life. Even Hollywood has given up making apocalyptic nuclear war movies. But the nuclear weapons aren’t asleep. They are ready to go.
Shannon Bugos: New START: A timeline of inaction and disingenuous proposals
Upon entering office on January 20, 2021, President-elect Joe Biden will have 16 days before the last remaining treaty limiting US and Russian nuclear arsenals, the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), expires.
Paul Robinson: End of Year Books
As the year is about to end, and I have several book reviews to do, I thought I would bundle them all together.
Lyle J. Goldstein: Lessons for the U.S. from the Armenia-Azerbaijan war
The short war between Armenia and Azerbaijan seems to have ended – at least for a time.
Nikolas K. Gvosdev: Will Joe Biden Repeat Obama’s Mistake of Trying to Achieve Impossible Foreign Policy Feats?
Joe Biden is taking office under conditions similar to Obama, amidst world-wide expectations about a positive change in tone and posture from the White House in contrast to the previous Republican occupant.
Ted Galen Carpenter: Joe Biden Might Have Good Instincts, But His Foreign Policy Team Doesn’t
The former vice president reportedly opposed a lot of bad wars under Obama. His advisors are a very different story.
Yuval Weber: Biden-Putin: the possible contours of a “cold” working relationship
Joe Biden is soon to become the fifth US president to face Vladimir Putin and the first to enter the presidency without the expectation of improving relations with his Russian counterpart.
Angela Stent: The Meddlers: Moscow’s and Washington’s Covert Campaigns
One hopes that the end of the Trump presidency will lead to a revival of a more reasoned discussion about where Washington should cooperate with Moscow and where the two sides will inevitably compete.
PODCAST: Pietro Shakarian: Artsakh-Karabakh: From a Russian Foreign Policy Perspective
On November 9, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed The Statement ending the war in Artsakh, known more commonly as Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia emerged as a major winner, by ending the violence, introducing peacekeepers, and upholding its historical role as the regional referee in the Caucasus. What are Russia’s interests in the region, and in this agreement? 𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 helps us explore.
Danny Sjursen: Biden’s Young Hawk: The Case Against Jake Sullivan
So far, America’s inbound insider of a national security adviser hasn’t gotten half the attention he deserves.
Russia Matters: Jake Sullivan on Russia
This compilation of observations and policy ideas related to Russia by Jake Sullivan is part of Russia Matters’ “Competing Views” rubric, where we share prominent American thinkers’ takes on issues pertaining to Russia, U.S.-Russian relations and broader U.S. policies affecting Russia.
Panel Discussion: Theo-Politics, Tragedy and Memory: Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020 Noon EST.
Second in a series of on-line discussions sponsored by the Simone Weil Center for Political Philosophy. Panelists Nicolai Petro, Susannah Black, Paul Grenier, Matthew Dal Santo, Michael Martin, Vasily Shchipkov will consider what Russia’s past tells us about Russia today. What is Russia? What in its tradition – despite, perhaps because of, its differences from our own – calls forth our respect? What doesn’t?
While the greatness of Russian art, thought and literature is widely acknowledged, it is less often granted that Russia forms a distinct civilization. And yet, increasingly, this is what Russians themselves believe. For some, the apotheosis of this civilization is the Eastern Orthodox church (Holy Rus); for others it is the Soviet experience, especially its victory over Nazi Germany. For still others, it is both. (And of course some Russians reject all such notions, including any distinctiveness.)
Kevin Murphy: Stephen F. Cohen Helped Us Understand the Russian Revolution and Nikolai Bukharin
In an academic field still dominated by dull anti-communist ideological conformity, Stephen Cohen was a rare maverick, a man of principles invariably taking minority and sometimes solitary stances that disputed orthodox interpretations.