Stephen Cohen and Katrina Vanden Heuvel - Russia and the US: Destined for a new Cold War?

Is America sliding back into a dangerous new Cold War with Russia? The two nuclear superpowers are again locked in political and military confrontations. Many worry President Trump’s withdrawal from Syria could create a vacuum that will empower Russia even more in the Middle East. Russia is reportedly setting up a semi-permanent base to host its TU-160 strategic bombers on one of Venezuela’s Caribbean islands 1300 miles from Florida. Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into allegations of collusion between the Kremlin and President Trump’s campaign continues to put pressure on the US-Russian relationship. Americans grow more wary as the frenzy surrounding “Russiagate” intensifies.
On Wednesday, February 27, 2019, Stephen Cohen, one of America’s most influential and controversial Russia experts, and Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of The Nation, joined the Council for a discussion on the new Cold War and how it has been exacerbated by both Washington and the US mainstream media. The discussion will be moderated by UCLA professor of political science and Russia expert Daniel Treisman.
Stephen Cohen's new book War with Russia? From Putin & Ukraine to Trump & Russiagate will be available for purchase at the event.

[@mikecar52]

Mr Cohen died 8th September 2020. Our loss.

[@bornatona3954]

Thanks God

[@DH-iw5bp]

So many fools in the audience who uncritically assume American goodness and Russian malevolence, despite the gross asymmetry between the two. Russia is no threat to America, but America is a major threat to Russia.

[@emi3219]

His voice today is what is needed at this moment! I do hope we all have a moment and remind ourselves this man has been speaking truth regarding our failures as a society!

[@saletallahassee776]

Cohen is one of very few voices of reason in US. A REAL American patriot, not that grey mass of politicians and journalists who are eager to use international politics in their internal political struggle without any respect to future consequences.

[@christianr9239]

His patience seemed infinite.

[@GH-oi2jf]

Correct. I’m reading his last book now. It is remarkable how accurate his predictions were, but I think it has ceveloped even further than he imagined. We are in a hot (proxy) war with Russia, not a cold war, and there is no reason for it. It’s madness!

[@saletallahassee776]

I just read that Stephen Cohen has died a few days ago... it is a huge loss to US intellectual elite. SO SAD... My deepest condolences... let his legacy be not forgotten... Who in US academia of similar caliber could understand Russia more than he did? And be as objective as possible and have so much grace and dignity and respect for others opinion (something that is practically absent in US now)... Huge huge loss...

[@honeypie2555]

John Mearsheimer also speaks the truth. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKOwmoaHdqyCiZY

[@Dannyboy0202]

@@honeypie2555 they were friends

[@shaughnfourie304]

I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU

[@Frannie12]

Good to hear his voice, he is missed.

[@joebhoy182]

Stephen Cohen was a visionary. If only people had paid attention to him.

[@raradidio1107]

Mr. Cohen entirely vindicated.

[@kw7807]

it would be good to have the video-not just voice.

[@martinsvensson7744]

Will we see a Hot War during 2022 ? That would be a disaster

[@gerhard7323]

We'll see if they decide to send jets next I guess....

[@adamkallin5160]

I also have the impression that Putin is a referee or mediator holding back more nationalist and hawkish forces. Well, in the end he had to give in.

[@ThanxBeToGod]

Wisdom, a word I hesitate to use, so perhaps I'm more comfortable with "foresight," is unpleasant. It's a terrible thing to see clearly the way a country and its people are destined to go. One clearly sees the hazards and perils all around us, as we go clumsily stepping into every foolish debacle. American recklessness and Islamic imperialism are the greatest threats to the world. Flat out. Not Russia. Not China. The world is on the precipice of a GREAT totalitarian age - great in the sense of the terrible human suffering it will certainly proliferate - unimaginable. Republics exist in name only. Democracy is a sham - always was. We are hijacked by lascivious bandits and fools. Trump was indeed a much hated champion, unfortunately our disastrous fate is certain. Kennedy was cut down long before my time, Washington a Man never seen before or since. These are the kinds of magnificent Men the west so desperately needs today. Unity between Eastern and Western Europe was in our grasp, yet we squander it time and time again. When mankind most desperately needed the American Ideals, we Americans abandoned our own founding principles - our ideals, in exchange for debauchery, obscene injustice, and cowardice.

[@verahochschwarzer3806]

Who only a picture, no film?

[@GH-oi2jf]

The words are what matter.

[@benjaminseng4271]

its amazing we havent all been vaporized yet.

[@billthestinker]

Too many cigarettes

[@karldecori9408]

As a Russian, it’s so funny for me to hear that an American doesn’t understand why Putin decided to go into a hot phase with Crimea. This is so illogical and unprofitable that it is more likely the action of a psycho than a reasonable person. But is it? This is such self-deception. A little clarification before I continue. I am 40+ years old and I have always looked towards the West and their values, I have never voted for Putin and I do not consider his domestic policy wise. I hope this will help to understand how much the West has affected the population of Russia with its actions and will confirm Stephen Cohen’s (RIP) correctness for those who read it. Let's start with the fact that Russia really tried to build its relations with the West for many, many years, after the collapse of the USSR. Many generations of young Russians, like me, who were born in the USSR, but began their youth in Russia, thought exactly the same as me. Millions of Russians were ready to move towards European democracy and Western values. But every time the West made it clear that we had no place in their club. This is especially clearly seen in the reaction to Putin’s speech in Munich in 2008. Russia is a junior partner, a gas station, but nothing more... like a silly rural cousin at a party of aristocrats. Then began the literal expansion of NATO to the border into Georgia and Ukraine (I will explain later why the Baltic countries are not so important). All the problems with this have already been well described by the professor, so I won't go back to that. Is the annexation of Crimea important to us? Why not? How many years has Russia been trying to resolve NATO expansion? How many years has the West shown that it does not take into account Russia’s opinion on this issue? Yes, Russia has lost a trading partner in the West, but it has not lost a conscientious partner. But Europe also lost access to cheap Russian resources. Not only Russia lost because of this gap, but also the European Union, which followed the lead of the United States. Crimea has always been a strategic base for the Russian fleet in the Black Sea (Sevastopol was founded almost at the same time as the United States was formed). In 2010, Ukraine began negotiating the construction of a naval base with the British and eventually began to build it near Nikolaev. In 2014, there was a coup that brought an armed junta to power in Ukraine (de jure this is even according to the constitution of Ukraine, so it is not legitimate even according to the laws of Ukraine). Who would give Putin guarantees that this would not lead to the junta and NATO not reaching an agreement? Has the West broken its words many times already? As a result, the Minsk agreements showed that Putin was very right in his doubts. Even Merkel, whom he trusted and relied on so much, admitted that all this was done only to stall for time and arm Ukraine to fight Russia. No one in the West thought about peace with Russia or its interests. So the decision to annex Crimea (especially since there is a precedent with Kosovo, in violation of international agreements and without UN sanctions, which was the greatest mistake of the United States) was simply a fixation of its risks. It doesn’t matter how events develop further, but Russia will maintain its bases in Crimea and thus will not lose its influence in the waters. Is the security of income from trade with Europe more important? In this case it is more important. In essence, Putin went “all in” and decided to show the West that Russia is worth taking into account, since not only will Russia lose due to a breakdown in relations, but Europe is also in a rather precarious position. It's time for Europe to stop subservient to the United States and make choices for its own interests. If Americans look at their foreign policy over the past 30 years from the outside, then they should understand Putin well. It's like looking in a mirror. Although no, Putin keeps his word, the United States is much more cynical with its promises. In the USA they can always say what someone else promised before you. And in 30 years, much fewer people around the world will die from Russia’s actions. Russia has not entered the Baltic countries since 1991. All their cries about pressure from Russia are their paranoid fears about neo-Nazis and Russophobes in their own countries. Their territories are so small, their population is so insignificant, their economy is so weak that they are nothing more than a transport hub. Their main task is not to block the transport corridor to the Kaliningrad region. How they constantly try to scare Russia and force them to pay attention to themselves. They are like a crazy ex-girlfriend who writes you threatening text messages, throws her fists at you and every time tries to blackmail you by complaining to the police that you are stalking and beating her. This is the Amber Heard of the world of geopolitics. No one in Russia takes them seriously or considers them a threat or a loss. The only thing they cause among Russians is a feeling of disappointment due to the fact that during the years of the USSR a truly outstanding port infrastructure and many maritime industry enterprises were built there. They ravaged and destroyed the Radiotekhnika plant, which produced high-end acoustic equipment for the entire USSR. Anyone interested in this topic should know how much a good tube amplifier or microphone costs. And they were always treated as a European showcase of the achievements of the USSR. But this was also true for the Germans, who controlled and exercised great influence over the Baltic countries before the Russian Empire and the USSR. The Balts are an ungrateful people. The same applies to Ukraine. This is a lying country. When they gained independence, the main document that was required of them and to which they agreed (including because of territorial claims - there are many territories that Ukraine has never had historically) was the non-aligned and neutral status of the country. There were no Russian troops there. But for some reason NATO troops appeared and for some reason the country decided to join NATO in 2008. Russia, the USA and Britain were the guarantors of security. But guarantees were given based on compliance with these basic points. Why didn’t senior partners in the form of the United States and Britain stop Ukraine from taking a rash step to violate these obligations? If before your eyes a child puts his hands into the fire or runs in front of a car, isn’t it your job as a responsible adult to stop him from taking a rash step? Why did the United States and England, on the contrary, push Ukraine to take this step? They kicked her into the grinder. This was done not for the sake of the interests of Ukraine, but for the sake of damage to Russia. Ukraine is also a valuable source of income and arable land (the population is constantly growing and food is no less valuable a resource than oil), but Russia is a resource-rich country and a transport bridge between Asia and Europe. Therefore, it will always be of interest and envy to corporations, so they will always want to weaken it, divide it and buy it in parts. The Russians will always be focused on preserving their borders and they have no time to expand - not everything has been mastered inside the country yet. Well, that's the main thing. As a Russian, China scares me much more than the West. Simply because about 30 million people live in the Asian part of Russia, and about 300 million on the huge border in China. They don’t even need to arm them. The Chinese just need to cross the border to take over a huge region of Russia. And how stupid, proud and blind does the United States have to be to push Russia into friendship with China? For the USA, this is not even a shot in the foot before the marathon, it is a shot in the head. Unite the country with the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons (I'm not even talking about conventional military production), natural resources and territory, with the country with the most powerful industrial base and the largest population on the planet. And finally, make them the main enemies of your foreign policy. Are these suicidal tendencies or just insanity?

[@user-vr6io5xb9e]

Russia Russia Russia 😂 those people are obsessed with Russia. Are they planning to go back to their ancestral lands or it’s just emotional 😊

[@gerhard7323]

If, like the compere here, you can't in any way rationalize the actions of Putin and his attitude toward the EU then you're either not trying hard enough, you've got your own agenda or you're just plain dumb. I don't think he's dumb and I don't think he's not trying.

[@thorinbane]

The one dvae guy is a clown. No understanding of geo politics. Why not say the aame about US politics instead of pretending putin is an all encompassing leader of everything. It a simple view that shows a lack of understanding of very basic economics. If your country fails they will most certainly come for you, the owners.

[@davidzeto2446]

Oops Cohen was dead wrong.

[@vw6751]

You completely missed the point. He was dead on the target.

[@davidzeto2446]

@@vw6751I disagree.

[@kylea1436]

@@davidzeto2446 Your disagreement is irrelevant. Maybe learn a little history.

[@davidzeto2446]

@@kylea1436 you might do better living a little life yourself. Boutique academic reasons are just as obscuring of reality as anything. Reason always follows fact, but fact rarely follows reason. Facts of reality are rarely if ever reasonable. You let reasonableness blind you.Throughout history Russian leaders have overreached their countries capabilities due to ambition and narcissism. Putin can claim all he wants how Russia's security was threatened by NATO, when for a period of time not long ago Russia itself was a candidate to join. The neo-liberals of the world who came to the fore when Russia's democracy was being born in the 90's wouldn't see it any other way but to have Russia join the global corporate machine and be integrated into the world economy, sans old world military concerns. Only a moron could miss that. Rest assured Putin did not. It was just easy for him to fall back on his old strong arm ways, as did his training from his KGB inception. Always have an enemy, and you can controll others through fear. This whole NATO threat stuff is cute, reasonable, and complete ivory tower bull. Enjoy eating up and spewing back out your smarty pants drivel though. I'm sure you find it very satisfying.

[@gerhard7323]

@@davidzeto2446 When exactly was Russia 'a candidate to join Nato' and why is Stephen Cohen wrong here? From the end of the cold war Russia always let it be known that Ukraine was very clearly its red line so why the great disbelief about what's happening and why in your eyes?

[@bornatona3954]

He was on kremiln payroll for very very long time...

[@rd264]

get lost troll