Stephen F. Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian Studies and Politics at NYU and Princeton, and John Batchelor continue their (usually) weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. (Previous installments, now in their fourth year, are at TheNation.com.) Cohen has been warning about the danger of an American–post–Soviet Cold War for nearly 20 years. During... Read More

Nation Contributing Editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. (Previous installments, now in their fourth year, are at TheNation.com.) Cohen chose this subject for tonight’s discussion for several reasons. This year marks the 30th anniversary both of Gorbachev’s formal introduction of his democratization policies in... Read More

Brzezinski’s death is being used to shift blame for terrorism from Bush/Blair/Neocons/Israel to Brzezinski. See for example, and The main effect of these articles is to create another hate figure. The Western world, like Big Brother’s world in Orwell’s book, 1984, cannot do without hate figures. In my account of Brzezinski, I noted the important... Read More

The Cold War could have ended in 1958 when Van Cliburn won the Piano Competition in Moscow. Van Cliburn was overwhelmed with Russian applause and his stage with the profusion of flowers. The judges asked Khrushchev if they were permitted to award the prize to the American. Khrushchev asked, “was he the best?� “Yes,� replied... Read More

Nation Contributing Editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. (Previous installments, now in their fourth year, are at TheNation.com.) Cohen emphasizes that while V-E (Victory in Europe) Day—a major American holiday, on May 8, when he was growing up in Kentucky—is no longer observed, Victory... Read More

It’s easy to forget just how scary the “good times� once were. I’m talking about the 1950s, that Edenic, Father-Knows-Best era that Donald Trump now yearns so deeply to bring back in order to “make America great again.� Compared to the apocalyptic fears of those years, present American ones would seem punk indeed, if it... Read More

The Cold War began during the Truman administration and lasted through the Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter administrations and was ended in Reagan’s second term when Reagan and Gorbachev came to an agreement that the conflict was dangerous, expensive, and pointless. The Cold War did not cease for long—only from the last of... Read More

It might have been the most influential single sentence of that era: “In these circumstances it is clear that the main element of any United States policy toward the Soviet Union must be that of long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies.� And it originated in an 8,000 word telegram --... Read More

Mr. Robert Dujarric (Letters, January 15th) believes that an increased Nato reliance on “smart� anti-tank weapons instead of tactical nuclear weapons is inadvisable. His analysis overlooks several important points. Many American tactical nuclear warheads are stored close to the East German border and might be quickly overrun during a Soviet attack. An American president would... Read More