Bombast From Washington: Joe Biden’s Russia Sanctions

Thursday, shortly after the White House issued its four-page Fact Sheet on the sanctions about to be imposed on Russia (“Imposing Costs for Harmful Foreign Activities by the Russian Government”), I was invited by RT International in Moscow to be a “first responder” and provide an analytical comment at the top of their 16.00 news … Continue reading “Bombast From Washington: Joe Biden’s Russia Sanctions”

Cold War Fever in Brussels

In recent months it has not been just Covid that raised the temperature in Europe’s hotheads: Cold War fever has set in among the Brussels leadership, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel rallying the troops against public enemy number one, the Russian Federation. In the United States, … Continue reading “Cold War Fever in Brussels”

Biden on ‘Killer’ Putin

In the USA, all politics is about one country only: itself. The Rest of the World is only a stage setting, a tableau against which American politicians posture and mud wrestle with one another. The latest and perhaps most serious manifestation of this indifference to the fallout of domestic political rhetoric on the world beyond … Continue reading “Biden on ‘Killer’ Putin”

The Post-Trump American Political Landscape

The three months from elections in the USA at the start of November through the first couple of weeks of the Biden presidency in February have been very turbulent, with dramatic changes in the balance of political forces virtually from week to week. Some of these contests have taken place in the courts or in … Continue reading “The Post-Trump American Political Landscape”

Will Antony Blinken’s Past Catch Up With Him?

When last week Antony Blinken emerged as the candidate likely to be tapped by Joe Biden to be his nominee for either National Security Advisor or Secretary of State, those of us in the camp dissenting from the ‘bash Russia’ policies on Capitol Hill during the Trump years groaned at the thought of the same … Continue reading “Will Antony Blinken’s Past Catch Up With Him?”

Nagorno-Karabakh and Unrelenting, Mounting US/EU Pressure on the Kremlin

The fierce conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh is not what it seems.  Least of all is this a civilizational struggle between barbaric Muslim Azeris and victimized Christian Armenians.  That is how it is being portrayed in the United States, in France and in other Western countries where there are substantial Armenian émigré communities which are and … Continue reading “Nagorno-Karabakh and Unrelenting, Mounting US/EU Pressure on the Kremlin”

Provocative US Air and Sea Maneuvers at Russia’s Borders

This past weekend, Russian state television on two major channels devoted substantial news segments of their week in review programs to the ongoing game of chicken that the U.S. is carrying on in the air and on the seas at Russia’s borders: on the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Barents and Okhotsk seas in … Continue reading “Provocative US Air and Sea Maneuvers at Russia’s Borders”

Stephen F. Cohen: In Memoriam

On Friday, 18 September, professor Steve Cohen passed away in New York City and we, the "dissident" community of Americans standing for peace with Russia – and for peace with the world at large – lost a towering intellectual and skillful defender of our cause who enjoyed an audience of millions by his weekly broadcasts … Continue reading “Stephen F. Cohen: In Memoriam”

Novichok and Nonsense: From a Post-Factual to a Post-Logic World

“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” These words of sage commentary from the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York State were overturned half a decade ago when we entered the world of “fake news” and facts became irrelevant to public discourse. Since then American political elites … Continue reading “Novichok and Nonsense: From a Post-Factual to a Post-Logic World”

Belarus: Why the Ongoing Political Unrest Is Unlike Maidan

In the past couple of weeks the mass demonstrations protesting the obviously falsified Belarus presidential elections became featured news reporting in Western media, edging out coverage of the Coronavirus pandemic and of street disorders in the USA following yet another shooting of some unarmed black man by white police. In this context, I was invited … Continue reading “Belarus: Why the Ongoing Political Unrest Is Unlike Maidan”