The New U.S.-Russian Cold War - Who is to Blame?

Please join The Harriman Institute and New York University’s Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia for a debate between Stephen F. Cohen (Professor Emeritus of Russian Studies at New York University and Professor Emeritus of Politics at Princeton University) and Michael McFaul (Professor, Department of Political Science, Stanford University) on “The New U.S.-Russian Cold War: Who is to Blame?"
This event is part of the Columbia-NYU New York Russia Public Policy Series. Support for this event is provided by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Debaters: Stephen F. Cohen and Michael McFaul
Chairs: Alexander Cooley and Joshua Tucker

[@grigorymatyunin1592]

McFaul isn't a diplomat/academic - he's an ideologue!

[@normab2728]

Cohen is brilliant. I wrote exactly this analysis as a State senior fellow at NATO affiliated Atlantic Council in 2000, eve of NATO expansion. I'm not as brilliant as Cohen, but I did hit it right on the head and the A.C. hated it. Never published my analysis that expansion and NATO's turn from defense to offense and obliteration of a NATO border would lead to exactly this crisis in Ukraine and Georgia -- the flashpoints for Russian action.

[@kurt44mg42]

Listening to McFaul, one gets the distinct impression he was a shady second hand car salesman before he became a 'political scientist.'

[@Paveldude]

McFaul wasn't debating, he was promoting his book smh

[@AndrewMann552]

McFaul proves how educational institutions rarely produce individuals who are actually educated

[@MerchantPrince]

McFaul was the wrong opponent for this debate. He is simply repeating the company line, not arguing the US position. The argument that "Russia simply misunderstood our intentions, we did nothing wrong" is not a constructive argument.

[@carloshathcock5333]

The US vacated the ABT in 2002, and then built a series of bases surrounding Russia armed with an anti-ballistic missile systems. Therefore, the US and its 'allies' attempted to change the MAD doctrine. How was Russia suppose to react to this act of aggression on its borders?

[@valentinabelousova8883]

McFaul is a rattle-box. What a nauseating character!

[@MundaSquire]

Though McFaul's point of view kept me questioning my bias, in the end I believe he is more of "the company man" peddling the company line, therefore I think Cohen's take is more big picture and more independent of ideology, at least in regard to what America has shown for over 70 years via its foreign policy and its relentless pursuit of capitalism at any cost.

[@jackjackiemurphy-broughton413]

"we were invited by Boris Yeltsin...to do "regime consolidation"???

[@casparcedartree2990]

Prof Cohen's made an important point about the expansion of NATO into the Baltic. By guaranteeing the integrity of countries with Russian minorities and frankly anti-Russian majority nationalities, we endanger ourselves.

[@stevej5185]

This was a badass debate and function. Thank you for posting this.

[@Paveldude]

Take a shot of vodka each time he says "I was there, it's in my book"

[@colinroach7815]

Just didn't know what to say, P. Cohen crushed him.

[@robertfeinberg748]

We needed an Orange Revolution in the US, but it wasn't delivered.

[@joshuatucker9402]

Quick FYI that the actual event begins around

[@johnsalamito6212]

McFaul “facts” have not aged well.

[@colinroach7815]

Mcfaul, establisment guy.

[@maykelsach795]

who is surrounding Russia with military bases? china? is Russia installing military bases all over the world?

[@robertfeinberg748]

There's no competition between ideologies; we've adopted theirs.