The Nation: The Fight Over a Trump-Putin Dtente Begins

[kennetha]

You want to hear a smart leftist put a good spin on Trump's approach to Russia? This is sort of typical for the Nation, though, even Katrina Vanden Heuvel who I respect a lot, tends to go all soft and accommodationist over Putin and Russia. Anyway, check this out. And listen to the podcast. Cohen sounds like a complete Russian apologist. Hope that doesn't become the standard spin on the left.

Nation Contributing Editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions, now in their fourth year, about the new US-Russian Cold War. (Previous installments are at TheNation.com.) Cohen begins by noting that he has discussed the 20th-century history of détente, its lessons, and the imperative of détente in today’s exceedingly dangerous new Cold War conditions on previous broadcasts with Batchelor, but in light of recent developments he must briefly reiterate that history.

The three main episodes of attempted détente in the 20th century—under Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, and (most expansively and successfully) Reagan—taught several lessons that President Trump (and Putin) must heed. Powerful enemies of détente exist on both sides, in Washington and in Moscow, and they will not only oppose the diplomatic process but try to sabotage it surreptitiously. An American president must therefore be determined and ready to fight for his policy. For this, he needs an able, like-minded team, particularly a national security adviser in the White House, Secretary of State, and ambassador to Russia. He also needs support for détente among American elites and voters that did not support his election, which will be much harder for Trump than it was for Reagan. And the occupant of the White House needs a strong, mindful détente partner—not a “friend”—in the Kremlin, as Putin certainly is, notwithstanding the mindless demonizing of him by the US political-media establishment. In this historical context, Cohen discusses recent developments, first on the part of President-elect Trump.

§ Trump seems to be evoking memories of Reagan’s détente, proposing Reykjavík, Iceland (where Reagan met with Gorbachev), as the site of his first summit with Putin; giving nuclear reductions and controls a top priority at the outset, as Reagan and Gorbachev did, and thereby shifting the linking of sanctions from negotiations over Ukraine (largely blocked by Kiev) to progress on nuclear weapons (about which Kiev has no say); appealing to British Prime Minister Theresa May as Reagan did to Margaret Thatcher, while diminishing the role of German Chancellor Merkel, the main opponent of easing European sanctions against Russia. Meanwhile, Trump has begun to assemble a strong pro-détente team in the White House and at the State Department, while continuing to refuse to vilify his would-be partner, Putin. In addition, Trump has suggested that the CIA leaked allegations (without any supporting facts) that Putin abetted Trump’s election victory, possibly with the CIA’s intention of sabotaging détente before it even got under way.

§ American enemies of détente are no less aware of Trump’s intentions in this regard, as is clear from their recent activities. They are trying in several ways to delegitimize Trump as president, especially by more than implying that he will pursue treasonous policies toward Russia. (MSNBC, CNN—whose paid contributor called Trump a “fifth columnist” without any protest by his fellow panelists—and New York Times columnists now do this almost daily.) Political leaders of the anti-détente bipartisan “party” insist that Putin’s Russia is the number-one threat to the United States and indeed to all Western democracies, however preposterous this is. American enemies of détente have escalated their demonization of Putin in order to disqualify him as any kind of US partner, warning, as do Times columnists, that détente would be “calamitous” for America. And even outgoing President Obama, his Russian policy in shambles, seems to want to leave behind additional obstacles to détente, by enacting new sanctions on Russia, speaking derisively of Putin, and quickly moving NATO/American troops and tanks to Russia’s Western borders.

https://www.thenation.com/article/the-fight-over-a-trump-putin-detente-begins/

[stevenleser]

1. Sad. I wouldn't expect anyone on any part of the left spectrum to gloss over four major issues

with Putin:

#1 - Engaging in multiple unprovoked wars of aggression (which are war crimes) most recently in Ukraine.

#2 - Going completely in the wrong direction on civil rights, particularly against LGBT with the anti-gay law passed by Putin and the Russian parliament.

#3 - Utter and vicious repression of the press to include well over 200 murderers of journalists in the last few years, most of whom, like Anna Politkovskaya, were critical of Putin.

#4 - EXTREMELY suspicious murders of many political opponents and other dissidents including Boris Nemtsov and Alexander Litvinenko.

No one on the left should be remotely OK with any one of these things.

[KittyWampus]

2. Being a puppet-state/satellite of Russia isn't 'detente'.

[dalton99a]

3. +1