new cold war // Current

US losing ground in Eastern Europe

William Engdahl: Russia's response to Georgia's offensive sends shock-waves throughout the region. Part 1 of 2 Russia... more

Vierotchka
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Interview: Russians Have Crossed a Red Line

What should the West do about Russia. Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told SPIEGEL that the West needs to work... more

unclepete
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Cold War tension rises as Putin talks of Black Sea confrontation

A new Cold War between Russia and the West grew steadily closer yesterday after the Kremlin gave a warning about “direct... more

Crazyotto
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Full spectrum dominance

Pepe Escobar: Welcome to the New Cold War. Pepe Escobar, born in Brazil is the roving correspondent for Asia Times and an... more

Vierotchka
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Georgia crisis frays web linking Moscow and West

The struggle over a tiny, impoverished part of the Caucasus mountains has erupted into a widening confrontation between Russia and the West, the worst since the Soviet Union collapsed.

The rift between Russia and the former Soviet state of Georgia over South Ossetia, a hilly land the size of Rhode Island, threatens a web of institutions spun since the end of the Cold War to tie Moscow to the U.S. and Europe. One by one, the strands holding the web together are fraying.

Even if the cease-fire holds in Georgia, the consequences of the crisis could be grim: Tensions might jeopardize Russian energy shipments to Europe, cut the U.S. off from access to the International Space Station, end intelligence cooperation between Washington and Moscow in the war on terrorism.

Western leaders are mulling expelling Moscow from the Group of Eight club of wealthy nations and denying it membership in the World Trade Organization.

Beyond denying Russia the privilege of participating in an alphabet soup of international groups, the escalating rhetoric threatens to resurrect the ugliest aspect of the Cold War: the doomsday brinksmanship between Russia and the West.

Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, a top Russian officer, said Friday that Poland's agreement to accept a battery of U.S. missile interceptors has put Poland at risk of attack, perhaps with nuclear weapons, the Interfax news agency reported.

The Russian foreign minister, meanwhile, warned that the Kremlin might halt cooperation on efforts to rein in Iran's nuclear program.

The Georgia conflict also could jeopardize several arms control agreements, including the Nunn-Lugar Comprehensive Threat Reduction act, which has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Russia for destroying, dismantling and securing its nuclear weapons.

Some U.S. lawmakers see risks to U.S.-Russia cooperation on the International Space Station, which could spell disaster for the program. After the U.S. space shuttle fleet is retired in 2010, Russia's Soyuz rockets will become the only way to get to the station for several years.

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Complete article at link.

The struggle over a tiny, impoverished part of the Caucasus mountains has erupted into a widening confrontation between Russia and... more