ping

I think the real questions are: How much money did George W offer Putin for Russia's help with the war on terrorists, and how much resentment still lingers over the US aid to Afghanistan during the little Soviet adventure there? You take $100.00, and keep moving the decimal point to the left, and you see how much it takes to buy a little help.

I would argue--looking at the closing of the Cuban spy base, the agreements on bases, the freely-flowing Russian oil spigots--that there is plenty of eagerness on the Russian side.

Cohen can't see the forest for the trees. The two deadliest long-term threats to Russia, China and Islam, are not even mentioned in the article, but they will be far more important in determining the future of Russo-American relations than any of the obstacles Cohen obsesses on.

I would argue--looking at the closing of the Cuban spy base, the agreements on bases, the freely-flowing Russian oil spigots--that there is plenty of eagerness on the Russian side.

It might work. "Trust, but verify."(Ronald the Great)

Is this Stephen Cohen the pinko Princeton prof who is the 20-years-older husband of The Nation comsymp Katrina vanden Heuvel? Because if he is, then he's a hard leftist posing as a liberal, and whatever he says, G.W. Bush should do the opposite.

Is this Stephen Cohen the pinko Princeton prof who is the 20-years-older husband of The Nation comsymp Katrina vanden Heuvel?

I believe so.

Stephen Cohen's claim to fame is that he wrote several books and articles in the 1980's explaining why Reagan's efforts to bring down the Soviet Union would backfire.

He and Strobe Talbot are two peas in a pod.

Cohen has built an entire career by being wrong about everything he has ever said about his area of expertise--Russia. Does anyone remember the last time he was right? I sure don't.

If you look at this piece a bit you can see why. He always chooses a dark, anti-American interpretation of events, and he always looks down his nose at whichever American decision-makers are in office.

He is useless.

Kind of makes you all warm and fuzzy.

This piece must have already gone to press by the time Putin made his remarks opening the door to alterations in the ABM treaty.

Once again, Cohen rushed to criticize the US and in the end he was wrong.

I encourage a permanent alliance with Russia. With our might and brains, and her natural resources and brains, we would be unstoppable. China could not stand before us. Terrorism would be on the run. The world would tremble before us.

I encourage a permanent alliance with Russia.

There's no such thing as a permanent alliance.

There's no such thing as a permanent alliance.

I mean permanent in the most temporary, fleeting and transient sense of the word.

Gone wobbly on us?

An alliance that lasts as long as the grass is green, the rivers flow, blah, blah, blah.

In my Ignorant opinion, the "People of Russia" are MUCH MORE "Like Us" than those who Despise us (BOTH of Us)!

In my Ignorance, I believe that a STRONG Techno-Political Alliance between our "Peoples" is of MORE VALUE to Humanity than ANY previous "Friendship" our Species ever had!

SCREW the "Barbarians @ the GATE!"

WE (the Russians, us, & a few of the "others," ) are GOING TO MARS & BEYOND!

Let the rest of the "Losers" fight over the "Leavings!"

Doc

Disdaining serious negotiations with Moscow, it declared its intention to push NATO all the way to Russia’s borders by including the former Soviet republics of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and to unilaterally abrogate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which Moscow considers vital to its nuclear security.

From my biased perspective, "former Soviet republics" should read "previously independent states." As if this limp-wrist thinks that the Baltic nations' foreign policy is subservient to the fact that they were occupied by his once beloved Communists.

From a larger perspective, girlie-man all but admits that the previous administration screwed up . . . his solution? Maintain the status quo. Braf. [sic]

Let's not forget how, during the republican primary debates, Senator John McCain was practically announcing his intention to declare war on Russia over the Chechnya situation. Thank God for President George W Bush.

Putin’s agreement to cooperate with Washington’s military campaign against terrorism, specifically in neighboring Afghanistan, opens the way to such a relationship, but it will require major revisions in U.S. policies that existed before Sept. 11.

Moscow Stance Over Afghanistan Splits Coalition

Pretty sick state of affairs when you can't help admiring the "former Soviets'" ability to trot us round the global ring performing tricks like a circus-circus pig as they please.

"KEEP SPENDING!" ... and SMILING, of course. The show must go on and we sure as hell don't want anyone doubting for a moment our Saving Graces of Western Materialism even if the militant atheists have got our number but good.