Nation contributing editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussion of the worst US/NATO–Russian confrontation in many decades, perhaps since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. In this installment, Cohen argues that since the current crisis began in November 2013, at each turning point Putin has been primarily reacting—wisely or unwisely—to perceived... Read More

Nation contributing editor Stephen F. Cohen continues his weekly ABC radio discussions with John Batchelor about the new US-Russian Cold War and confrontation over Ukraine. Featured subjects include the ongoing struggle over the Minsk Accords for a negotiated settlement, with Secretary of State John Kerry’s progress with Russian President Vladimir Putin undermined by the Obama... Read More

The New York Times ran a front-page article on Tuesday accusing Putin of currying favor with Cyprus and Greece in an effort to secure their votes against renewing sanctions. Later that day, The Nation’s Stephen Cohen said on The John Batchelor Show that while it’s true that Putin hopes to find support in Europe’s “soft... Read More

Is a US war with Russia possible? The Nation’s Stephen Cohen joined The Thom Hartmann Program to discuss the politics underpinning the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Cohen expressed concern over the narrative in the West that Putin sought to destabilize Ukraine as part of a wider campaign to take back former Soviet territories in Eastern... Read More

Stephen Cohen went on The John Batchelor Show yesterday evening to discuss Vladimir Putin’s recent speech on the state of Russia, the equivalent of the State of the Union address in the United States, which is both an opportunity to boast about the achievements of the past year and to outline a program for the... Read More

In the next few days, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will meet with European leaders Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel and François Hollande. Stephen Cohen goes on The John Batchelor Show to discuss what will occur at that meeting and what’s next for Ukraine, now that Poroshenko’s position has drastically weakened and Putin holds all the cards.... Read More

Is Putin withdrawing troops from the border with Ukraine for fear of sanctions, or civil war? Stephen Cohen thinks it’s the latter, and that Putin “is convinced that we are a couple spits from civil war in Ukraine,” which could draw in NATO and Russia. Cohen joined Angela Stent of Georgetown University on PBS NewsHour... Read More

Instead of embracing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to save Washington from another disastrous war—his plan would put Syria’s chemical weapons under international control and destroy them—influential segments of the American political-media establishment are bent on discrediting him and thus in effect the alternative to war he represents. Still worse, purportedly liberal and progressive voices... Read More

Nation writer Stephen F. Cohen went on CNN Saturday to discuss how Russian President Vladimir V. Putin "has given President Obama the chance to be an international statesman." He said Obama should so-operate with the Russians on disarming Syrian chemical weapons, and that Russian and US national interests in the Middle East are aligned. He... Read More

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared at Reuters. American media coverage of Vladimir Putin, who today began his third term as Russia’s president and 13th year as its leader, has so demonized him that the result may be to endanger U.S. national security. For nearly 10 years, mainstream press reporting, editorials and op-ed articles have... Read More