American Committee for US-Russia Accord

Thirty years ago, the United States was dismantling warheads at a historic pace. But in 2002, John Bolton—then the undersecretary of state for arms control—persuaded George W. Bush to withdraw from the cornerstone of anti-nuclear scaffolding, the decades-long Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia.

“Our effort to reach a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine are now hopefully underway. It is so important to get that done. Millions of soldiers are getting killed. Millions of Russians and millions of Ukrainians. It has to end,” Trump said in his video address to Davos attendees.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that US troops must be included in a Western peacekeeping force that he wants deployed to Ukraine as part of a potential peace deal with Russia.

US President Donald Trump has threatened Vladimir Putin to end the war against Ukraine, and he can choose “the easy way or the hard way.” Will such threats work? Executive director at the Centre for Independent Studies Tom Switzer explains.

To achieve an accord that Ukraine will embrace, Russia will respect, and Europe will support, Trump will have to revive a tradition of American statesmanship — balancing power and interests among capable rivals — that has been largely dormant since the Cold War ended, and U.S. foreign policy shifted its focus toward democratizing other nations and countering terrorism.

There has been an enormous cancellation of debate on Ukraine in the mainstream western media. Google does its part too, making it very difficult in the west to search for and find genuinely independent reporting on what is happening. When you search for key issues, such as Ukrainian casualty rates, ultra-nationalism in Ukraine, presidential elections or the state of Ukraine’s economy, the computer will normally say no.

An outsider view of East and West German society, trying to understand the differences..

At the end of 1829, the social scene in St. Petersburg was abuzz about a charming young Persian prince, who had traveled from Tabriz to the Russian Imperial capital with gifts for Tsar Nicholas I and the Romanov family.  The journey of Iran’s Khosrow Mirza, the seventh son of Crown Prince `Abbas Mirza, was intended to repair relations between Tehran and Petersburg, following the murder of the diplomat and writer, Aleksandr Griboedov. The mission was major diplomatic success and set the stage for a long-term rapprochement between Russia and Persia, following two major wars over control of the Caucasus in the early 19th century.

Almost 200 years later, Russia and Iran have never been closer.  On January 17, 2025, Iran’s affable reform-minded president, Masoud Pezeshkian, arrived in Moscow to a red-carpet reception.  After a warm meeting and over three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the two leaders signed the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between their respective countries.  The signed pact envisions an intensification of ties between Moscow and Tehran to a degree unprecedented in the history of Russo-Iranian relations.  The document was the result of months of intensive diplomatic work by both the Russian and Iranian sides.  It also reflected a significant deepening of relations that had been occurring steadily over the past decade, augmented by Russo-Iranian cooperation within BRICS and coordination on several major flashpoints—Ukraine, Syria, Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), Gaza/Palestine, and Lebanon. [Read more…] about ACURA Exclusive: Pietro A. Shakarian: The Russo-Persian Partnership Pact: Significance and Implications

The early successes of the Ukrainian army in 2022 inspired war aims that included the total liberation of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and holding Russia accountable for its war crimes. Those aims no longer appear realistic.

Dr. Arthur Khachikyan and journalist Razmik Martirosyan interviewed James W. Carden, contributing editor and columnist at The American Conservative.

Talking about the U.S.-Armenia Strategic Partnership Commission charter signed by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Foreign Minister Mirzoyan, Carden notes, “The idea that the USA is going to somehow become the security guarantor of Armenia instead of Russia and Iran, might be appealing to bureaucrats in Washington…but it is very dangerous for Armenians: The USA is not going to become a security guarantor of Armenia. In fact, this will leave Armenia vulnerable to the plans of the Turks. After all, nothing matters more in Washington, than NATO, and Turkey and the USA are treaty allies through NATO. So, this seems to me to be a very short-sighted and dangerous move on the part of the current Armenian government.”

As an American, he believes that putting an army base in Armenia doesn’t increase the USA’s national security, it certainly doesn’t increase the security of Armenians. “This seems to me to be a very provocative move on the part of Pashinyan, because what he is doing is inviting Russian and Iran enemies into their backyard. This is a dangerous move on the part of the Armenian government”

OFAC has targeted Russia’s major oil companies and insurers as well as over 180 tankers in the shadow fleet. But will it make a difference?

In 2019, Jimmy Carter shared his thoughts on China with the congregants at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. “Since 1979, do you know how many times China has been at war with anybody?” Carter asked. “None. And we have stayed at war.” The U.S., he calculated, had enjoyed a paltry 16 years of peace in its 242-year history, making it “the most warlike nation in the history of the world,” repeatedly trying to force others to “adopt our American principles.” “How many miles of high-speed railroad do we have in this country?” he asked rhetorically, noting that China had built some 18,000 miles of high-speed rail while the U.S. had “wasted, I think, $3 trillion” on military spending.  [Read more…] about ACURA Exclusive: Peter Kuznick and Ivana Nikolić Hughes: The Sanctification of Jimmy Carter is a Disservice to his Legacy

At yesterday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) questioned Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State.

America’s proxy war with Russia isn’t anything new. It’s been decades in the making. Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick explain what nuclear war would actually look like.

US President-elect Donald Trump’s statements about acquiring Greenland not exempting economic or military means received critical reactions from Russian officials. They called the development “dramatic” and predict “uncertainty and tension in the region.” Some Russian political commentators celebrated Trump’s statements while others expressed skepticism and noted the potential implications for Russia.

They say “all wars must end.” Yet how does this actually happen? First, all parties must agree — to go down that path together. Next, they must enter into formal negotiation, which almost always means horse trading, compromise, and accommodation. Finally, and most important, all belligerents must want the war to end.

In May 2017, the FBI opened an unprecedented counterintelligence probe of President Trump as an agent of Russia. Nearly 8 years later, the FBI continues to conceal the basis for that investigation.

President Boris Yeltsin stepped down on December 31, 1999 catapulting Vladimir Putin into office where he has been for the last 25 years. Has he been good for Russia or a bane?