Is Trump for Detente With Russia and Militarism With China and Iran? - RAI with Stephen Cohen (2/5)

Trump’s stated aim is to reduce tensions with Russia, but is it motivated by peaceful objectives or is it preparations for aggression towards Iran and China - Stephen Cohen joins host Paul Jay for a spirited discussion on Reality Asserts Itself
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[@brombo00]

Stephen Cohen is one of favourite people, ever.

[@bumblebee9337]

We are living in a multi-polar world, whether American exceptionalists accept that or not.

[@kentasuzukisakamoto]

Across the world, there's still plenty who remain mentally colonized by Hollywood

[@bumblebee9337]

@@nunliski The regional powers in today's world include China, Russia and India. In theory, it should also include Europe, but the EU is a US lackey, under the auspices of NATO. The basis for today's multi-polar world is economic. It's also a result of geographical constraints. The US military cannot conquer the world; it is in service of its proxies, which do most of the dirty work of repressing their own citizens. But proxies are not reliable. In a global economy, they can arrange trade deals that are of no benefit to the US or US corporations. This is known as economic competition. The period between the collapse of the Soviet Union and the economic rise of China, was the last hurrah for the US as the sole world power. The development of nuclear weapons also ended the possibility of grand military conquests, as exemplified by the Axis powers in WW2.

[@bumblebee9337]

@@nunliski We're in the period where China has eclipsed the US in economic power.

[@bumblebee9337]

@@nunliski World trade.

[@1247.cccccc]

@@bumblebee9337 LOL, with the US.

[@tanakasatoshi6190]

I wish I could be as smart and eloquent as Professor Cohen.

[@tooftoof8788]

Great interviews!!

[@hrivera6941]

Thanks for the insightful conversation. Very informative. I like listening to Stephen Cohen. Paul Jay was a great interviewer

[@merbst]

Paul Jay is the smartest analyst of any public source of foreign policy information. I believe that he does not waste any of the information that he has learned in his amazing RAI interviews while drawing the most accurate and precise conclusions possible, without ever overstating his confidence or certainty.

[@robinswamidasan]

I think Paul Jay is the best interviewer I've seen, by some margin. But I don't think he's the most objective analyst. I have heard him refer to Putin as a dictator. This is the 1st time I've heard him admit that there is no equivalence between US and Russian foreign policy actions; the US is much worse.

[@therealnews]

I don’t think I’ve ever called Putin a dictator, if I had I was wrong, but please point out where I did. Almost every time I criticize Putin and the Russian government, and crimes they have committed, I always put it into context that the United States has committed far far more crimes on the global scale, than anything Russia has done - Paul

[@robinswamidasan]

@@therealnews Paul, this is hard work. Here's an example: from "The Real News Doesn’t Side with Russian or American Oligarchs", kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGfTlGyiaN2ceMk March 5 2017, republished on March 25 2019 at 9:00 "... they talk about the dictator Putin ... It's all true." And your co-host echoes "It's all true.", giggles.

[@for-knees5986]

Excellent interview. We should note that Russia's subjugation has been a British and American project ever since the Crimean War during the 1850's

[@asavetmd]

Paul Jay does not understand what happened in Crimea or Ukraine, which is not a Nation State. It is 2 and possibly 3 Nation States. The "transfer" of Crimea to Ukraine, which BTW, in Russian Ukraine, or in Russian, "okrania", means "Russia's Borderlands". Everything East of the Dnepir River has been part of Russia for several hundred years. Russia fought many wars in its history to secure The Crimea as Russian territory, and Catherine The Great (a German) was the one who did it. Crimea is Russia and Putin didn't "make a mistake" to facilitate its Return to Russia which it had been trying to do since 1954. I can't wait to see Professor Cohen make more of a fool of Paul Jay again in Part 3.

[@BrettHar123]

The Obama Administration overthrew the Ukrainian government, and installed an illegal junta supported by real neo-Nazis. The Crimean Parliament asked Russia for help, the junta had sent nazi brigades to "pacify" Crimea. Crimea did not recognise the illegal coup. The Russian troops were already stationed at Sevastopol, they were hailed as heroes, and the Referendum was internationally recognised as free and fair. But Obama put sanctions, not just on Russia, but on the Crimean People itself, what an asshole. Yet the propagandists still say "Russia invaded Crimea"? What more proof does anyone one need that, left and right, the mainstream media is not about truth, but naked propaganda and blatant lies?

[@bboucharde]

This is one of the most profound interviews broadcast on KZbin this year. Listen, and then dig a deep shelter---or move to New Zealand.

[@ivanfreely6366]

New Zealand will not be spared. There's definitely a missile with their name on it.

[@BrettHar123]

@@ivanfreely6366 I doubt it, the Russians don't have anywhere near enough nukes, they are not the Soviet Union, there is only one thing you can be certain about, and that's making sure they have enough get through the US first strike and missile defense, to give the masters of the US and the UK, what they deserve, for the last 300 years of grief.

[@bobramsay4355]

Enjoyed your latest book Stephen ! Brings things into a more sane perspective, do you still feel the same way about Trump now?

[@andreymaslov9871]

Paul Jay did such a good job during this segment. It really looked difficult.

[@Jimpassarotri]

Great to see Steven Cohen. Hopefully Paul Jay will watch this and see how his logic falls apart due to trump obsession clouding his thinking.

[@kenike007]

Cohen has some good points, but Trump still remains a very shady character with his true motives ...all his actions have proven to be highly unstable.

[@Jimpassarotri]

@@kenike007 I agree, but he may not be seeing the geopolitics of Russia very clearly by fixating on Trump. The Democrats scapegoating of Russia paved the way for Trump to break the INF treaty. Bravo, for the pro-war, anti-free speech, corporate psuedo-Left.

[@rdpatterson2682]

Great discussion.

[@freeparsons7115]

Why the hell do you guys give each segment a different title? Are you trying to make it difficult to watch the whole discussion??

[@josearguello8309]

Paul Jay, you need to let your guests speak. Why else have them on?

[@terrycreagh5003]

Vitally important point that Russia is no longer communist! If only people would understand that.

[@BrettHar123]

The fact that Russia has re-embraced Orthodox Christianity and rejected Marxist ideology, may not be the reason for the geopolitical hostility, but it has definitely been used in order to demonise Russia in a core constituent of the Democratic Party. Just look at Russia's reaction to Masha Gessen and Michael McFaul's encouragement of the despicable Pussy Riot, and their obscene acts in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, in St. Petersburg. We know this ideological group has the same contempt for conservative Christians in the US. They have prevailed in academia and public institutions, whereas in Russia, they remember the radical social change under Lenin and Trotsky, the destruction of the Church, and they actively wish to determine their own culture. Further, this demonisation of Russia, the Russiagate Hoax, had another agenda, to reverse the growing support for Putin and Russia amongst the Christian Right. They have allied with their long-lost cousins, the Neocons, who originally came from the same circles, the idea of a moral alliance between the US Right and Conservative Russia, is an existential threat to all they have achieved. None of this matters to the political elite in both parties. The way they "motivate" their constituents to demonise Putin is mere strategy. After Putin clawed back Russia's assets in the 2000's, and jailed the worst gangsters like Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Putin didn't realise how powerful they had become, even from prison, Khodorkovsky's massive wealth was lobbying all sides of US politics. In 2006, a bill co-sponsored by John McCain and Barack Obama, protected all the illegal (in Russia) US Yukos shareholders, Khodorkovsky had almost succeeded in selling Russia's largest oil company to Texas oil magnates. Then he joined forces with another criminal, William Browder, who had fleeced the Russian economy of billions before he was expelled in 2005. Together they concocted a scheme to depose Putin, and used the Congress to help them - Browder used a fabricated story to craft the Magnistky Act. Curiously, a "human rights" Act, for some reason had further clauses to benefit Yukos, which seems unusual for an Act designed to punish Browder's enemies, to steal the assets of the oligarchs supporting Putin, in the hope they would remove him and put Khodorkovsky or his representative in his place. One look at the New York Times or Washington Post, the open access given to Khodorkovsky, is breathtaking. The extent that the mainstream media is the pocket of Khodorkovsky, and the extent that they all repeat Browder's confabulations, could make one believe that the executive branch has become an appendage of a bought Congress, and mainstream media - by a Russian criminal - far worse that Putin. The Clintons are fully on board, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz or Jeb Bush also, but for some reason Donald Trump was not. That was his real crime.

[@johnpagoto1054]

Paul doesn't need a question, he likes to hear himself talk. At least your getting off the russiagate bandwagon

[@psgrenier]

One of the few sane voices in US international relations theory and practice. We will know the US as a whole has become sane again when men like Cohen are given high positions of responsibility.

[@kosmosfaber6534]

Stephen has more hair, but goddamnit Paul has a pretty face

[@lynnwandering581]

I disagree, Stephen is cuter!

[@JohnDoe-wo1jd]

Vote Tulsi Gabbard for president 2020 !

[@merbst]

This guy thinks way too highly of Trump. Our only hope is that Tulsi Gabbard will have control of our foreign policy.

[@staatsfeindlich9939]

Yup. And Bernie ain't the one to do it

[@kenike007]

So happy to hear you stand for Tulsi...she us so wise and capable for foreign Affairs ...i just wish she would get more public recognition!

[@nowaskmehow]

The same liberals smearing Trump (including some who used to socialze with his family) will be also smearing Tulsi Gabbard. May God be with her.

[@1247.cccccc]

@@nowaskmehow The democrat power brokers already told Tulsi she is finished in their party. She is running to enrich herself, just like Bernie did.

[@nowaskmehow]

@@1247.cccccc Bernie must be the master of the long con.Participating in the civil rights protests, decades of lawmaker work, all to cash in in 2016. Dedication. As for Tulsi, perhaps you're the better judge of character. Have you ever met anyone genuine and trustworthy ever in your life?

[@WichalRangai]

Please look into why a nuclear war isn't possible in our timeline.

I love RNN but Paul Jay is seriously starting to act like Jenck at TYT - he loves himself talking just a little bit too much... LOVE Stephen Cohen and its so bugging that its like Jay is trying to be bigger, better and more knowledgable than Cohen.

[@dougen9237]

Paul, you are too cynical about Trump. Cohen is saying something very profound.

[@MustacheVerra]

Paul Jay seems to be stuck in that anti-Trump frenzy. Trump is not the problem the system is.

[@carmeniglesias8615]

Not to blow the people and animals of the world! This without mentioning the destruccion of anything that sustain lives,water, soil and air. We are wakos!

[@rishirajkumar5050]

What kind of show is this, where the guest doesn't get the chance to speak ?

[@DynV]

30:06 just right of the purple tie guy, it's mr magoo.

[@tarnopol]

Cohen is always worth attending to, but he has overswung on Trump. It's, I presume, a reflection of the total ass-reaming he's gotten. It's natural; it's hard to resist. But he just needlessly overswings. Good pushback by Jay, and a pretty good discussion. I look forward to see how it plays out. Don't get me wrong: the general background Cohen presents is pretty much ignored in the press, and is crucial. To say nothing of what should be a fact that engenders automatic assent: we should always be lessening tensions and improving relations with Russia. Nuclear weapons. I mean, that that isn't automatically agreed with, no qualifications, is stunning.

[@laikakhan1313]

Paul's narrowness blinds him to see through reality. narrowness of 1) nuclear annihilation, 2) climate annihilation, 3) MIC and profit making, 4) Trump as an absolute lier and demon. The first 2 point of view is correct but obstructs him to think through and analyze reality of nuclear and climate existence as it is, point 3 doesn't go far enough since that is not the only motivation/power and on 4) well personal view should be moved aside to enable analytical frame to work.

[@JohnDoe-wo1jd]

Paul Jay always has to disagree about something . Its like an ego thing like Charlie Rose has . He says although trump wants detente with Russia , He wants war with China . Trump does not want war with China . Its a lot of bluff and huff and puff from Trump because he also has an ego thing .

[@kenike007]

I am so open to seeing genuine cooperation on peace with Russia.... however the irrationality of all the moves and statements we have witnessed by Trump, I cannot feel there is any good this creature has intentions for.

[@rcmrcm3370]

If Trump is a vessel, then when the vessel cracks don't the owners buy a new one? On the other hand, is it not better to have a Trump vessel vs. Mike Pence? I expect if Mike Pence was president we'd already have ground troops in Venezuela.

[@Ryukikon]

Paul is so in his feelings about Trump he.has no logical points against him that can be said of almost every other politician. Just dont like Trump says Paul because socialism

[@dontbetonit813]

He knows Putin won't put up with his BS.

[@kingalbert455]

😆 Russia's back.... And so is the economy....

[@tmulti-region9827]

Paul Jay, "...exploiting and ripping off the Russian people". What the H___?

[@bellhula1535]

Stephen Cohen this guy is downplaying don't invite him. Now the u.s is already fighting Russia and Iran.

[@clarenceedwards2866]

I disagree fundamentally with this gentleman Steve Cohen. As far as I can gather from all past and present history, The US has no real interest in any other nation but itself and Israel; and they will do whatever it takes to run roughshod over all other nations in order to maintain the status quo. The only exception to this are those nations like Saudi Arabia, Japan etc that will implement financial policies and join military pacts that will not threaten the dollar and allow their territories to be used for military bases in order to maintain this US belligerence all over the world. The fact that Trump may hold out overtures to Russia is not about any love for Russia because had Russia not been nuclear armed and capable of defending itself, they would have been relegated just like Iran, Palestine, Libya, Syria et al. When one considers the unprecedented war crimes that these devils have committed over the years; some unspeakable atrocities done in the name of freedom and democracy, there is no way that anyone with a modicum of common sense could interpret any overture of peace by these devils as anything other than a ploy to divide and rule.

[@1247.cccccc]

Divide whom? Have you ever thought about the crusades?

[@wemadeitpodcast]

This was frustrating, I think Cohen is completely deluded. Credit to Paul Jay for being calm in his disagreements, very professional.

[@klubsvetnikov8290]

Trump should get new people? Maybe people should get new president?