"We Are Not Beginning a New Cold War, We Are Well Into It": Stephen Cohen on Russia-Ukraine Crisis

www.democracynow.org - As negotiations over the crisis in Ukraine begin in Geneva, tension is rising in the Ukrainian east after security forces killed three pro-Russian protesters, wounded 13 and took 63 captive in the city of Mariupol. Ukrainian officials said the pro-Russian separatists had attempted to storm a military base. The killings came just after the unraveling of a Ukrainian operation to retake government buildings from pro-Russian separatists. Earlier today, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the authorities in Kiev of plunging the country into an "abyss" and refused to rule out sending forces into Ukraine. Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has announced a series of steps to reinforce its presence in eastern Europe. "We will have more planes in the air, more ships on the water and more readiness on the land," Rasmussen said. We are joined by Stephen Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies and politics at New York University and Princeton University. "We are not at the beginning of a new Cold War, we are well into it," Cohen says, "which alerts us to the fact 'hot war' is imaginable now. It's unlikely, but it's conceivable -- and if it's conceivable, something has to be done about it."
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[@pressmonkeyindependentmedi7014]

One of DN's most important and best interviews ever. Its even more timely now

[@requiemforamerica8432]

Thank you for having this very informed guest on.

[@TheTamriel]

Excellent statements by Stephen Cohen Muchas gracias, DemocracyNow

[@vadim921]

Good channel, I like it))

[@jonathankiehne842]

Excellent segment. You guys keep up the good work.

[@lewstherintelamon1377]

Reviewing this eight years later, I have to ask: What happened to you, Amy? I turn on your broadcasts now, be they concerning Eastern Europe, Latin America, or the Near East, and all I hear is pro-war shilling for the American Empire. With this interview, eight years ago, you set what ought to have been the standard for the liberal (note: liberal, not Left) press. What the hell happened?

[@bouji_]

Trump happened.

[@diesenutss]

Bruh she still brings on guests that go into thorough detail of U.S. atrocities lmao.

[@tninbrickveneer8816]

If I say the same thing as you, they call me anti-American and I'm not.

[@lewstherintelamon1377]

@@tninbrickveneer8816 The kids do call me anti-American. I'm old and cranky enough to remember that being an American isn't about saying "Sir, yes Sir!" when authority tells you to do something; it's about saying "NO" to authority when authority is wrong.

[@gobeklitepe6860]

@@tninbrickveneer8816 just label them as NATO boys or girls

[@Hud23]

Remember when DN used to push back against war and state department lies? Hard to watch them now.

[@Vicioues]

If you have a look at hugo chavez coup and the coup in Ukraine they are almost the same in which the US operated them, only difference was Chavez out smart them.

[@zodiackiller4743]

Word for word true predicitor easy ahead of his time

[@myhatmygandhi6217]

Most people knew that NATO expansion was a terrible idea, but the US government want war because war is guaranteed profit.

[@dodododatdatdat]

ye its slam dunks on truth after slam dunk. He will be sorely missed in these reckless and bloodthirsty times. Unfortunately what he says cant be said anymore and thats an absolute INDICTMENT on the western propaganda machine we live under. Im hoping on diplomacy from our incapable leadership, all they seem to see in cashmoney and misery.

[@ryanmilton2643]

And who will replace Stephen Cohen to bring back sanity to the debate today? Does DemocracyNOW toe the line? Mr. Cohen was right.

[@robertglenn5398]

When President Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev successfully negotiated the first nuclear treaty behind the backs of their respective hawks, we had a chance to kill the Cold War in 1962. JFK's seminal speech at American University foretold his eventuate policy outlines for his second administration...and overall end to the Cold War, Vietnam and a general winding down of the military industrial complex and hawkish foreign policy. His Soviet counterpart stated that his was the best speech he'd ever heard. Likewise, Nikita was attempting to do what he could in order to foster a diverse state of affairs between the two super powers. Since the assassination of JFK and the overthrow of Khrushchev months later, we've witnessed another quarter century of Cold War proxys, the deaths of millions for no reason and a succession of absolute idiots inhabiting the White House and at times the Kremlin. Today's evolving Cold War might very well get hot soon for no other reason than today's leaders lack in spades the wisdom of their antecedents. They are in a word, idiots...fucking idiots.

[@tninbrickveneer8816]

si yo digo lo mismo me llaman antiestadounidense pero no lo soy, pienso igual que tu pero los medios de Comunicacion masivos hacen estupida a la gente

[@robertrichard6107]

Gov. W Bush couldn't get NATO to land jelly side up in Ukraine so Tori NewLand was sent to rescue the poor Neo-NAZI's.

[@SeNgokuRaiden00]

Very interesting!

[@ThisNinjaSays_]

Rest in Peace Professor Cohen. Unfortunately the warmongers in DC won.

[@waterproofcat1]

I fucking love this Channel

[@dereckvon]

Pathetic politics continually wrecking life.

[@Bdubwags]

[@planetwalker]

It's what they do best. Political gangsters abusing the public.

[@honorhonor3352]

Future foretold.

[@HegelsOwl]

U.S., 1983: "There's been a coup in Grenada: We must invade Grenada to protect American lives." Russia, 2014: "There's been a coup in Ukraine. We must invade Ukraine to protect Russian lives." U.S., 2014: "Wait a minute: You can't do that -- Ukraine is a sovereign nation!"

[@tninbrickveneer8816]

siempre es labmisma mierdavpaso en Colombia, Peru, etc.

[@christopherpifer4376]

Good video

[@christiansurname4160]

Am I the only one who never knew Gomer Pyle was in NATO?

[@dannyparkersmith]

CFR ?

[@buskingkarma2503]

Say what!

[@tatianalyulkin410]

I've always loved and admired Ariel Dorfman. But never in my worst nightmares could I have foreseen that in 2014 I will become the female Ukrainian version of him. And of course nobody bothered to ask me if I was up to the part or even wanted it in the first place.

[@krevetka9744]

Похоже я следую конкретно по вашим следам. Под каждым третьим старым видео которое смотрю вижу ваш коммент xD

[@zhubajie6940]

From 2009-2010 Polish and German officials invited Russia again to joint NATO. However though the Russian Envoy to NATO said Russia may join later, he explicitly said, "Great powers don't join coalitions, they create coalitions. Russia considers itself a great power." It seems that Russia though was at least wanted to be seen to be wanting to keep its options open, at least at that time, had no intention to joining the west other than allowing it to using its energy soft power. Similarly, Russia is trying to make natural gas deals with the P.R.C. but even after years of negotiation as of April 2014 nothing has been finalized, partly on price, partly on Russia use of it to control other countries, and even China, who has little interest in a country's internal politics, is getting a little wary of Russia after the Crimea invasion remembering Russia as one of many European powers participating in trying to carve up China in the 19th and 20th century.

[@marshalljulie3676]

Lies 😂😂

[@francism.1208]

The west has too much talking conferencing , smeared with playing safe altitude, Ukraine needs help ,heavy military equipments without limitations to defend it's freedom and independence.

[@hairtrigger8317]

After what they've done in the Donbass region for the last 8 years after the 2014 coup they brought this war on themselves. I'm not ok with giving anymore aid to Ukraine, they have a rampant ultra nationalist/Nazi problem. Should have let those people in the Donbass have their freedom instead of cracking down on them with brutality.

[@antspunning6797]

program guest forgets one important thing, putin wish to get back old soviet union or russian empire boarders. i live in Estonia, right next to russia and i dont want my country annected by russians again. russia still have not sed even sorry for sending people from Estonia to siberia and has not sed sorry for any other crime soviet russia did here. we have enough colorado beetles here sins soviet occupation yelling rossia rossia. and what says putler, that russia has every right to start war against 1,3 million people in Estonia O_o should we not be concerned here? 140 million people affraid 1,3 million people?

[@svenhanson398]

US has not said sorry to any country they have killed people in. But are the rest of the world have to live under this paranoia that is obvious in the East, just because your country and all the other ex soviet victims have had such a bad recent past. Because that is what we are now going to live with. A very smart move and thanks for that. I live in Sweden, have always seen the Baltic state in a very good light but seeing how Lithuanian politicians and others from the Baltic are talking, just putting more fire to this madness i wonder now. The experience must have made you mentally sick, deal with it and dont put the whole world on fire

[@KingMinosxxvi]

You forget that you are full ofBS!