NEWSWATCH VIDEO: “Cohen vs. McFaul – Is Russia or America to blame for the New Cold War?” – Meduza/Kevin Rothrock & Embedded YouTube Video

“Living in New York City, retired from academia, and unencumbered by the Washington consensus on Russia, Professor Stephen Cohen does not keep a low profile. In recent years, he has been one of America’s most vocal ‘dissidents’ when it comes to the nation’s Russia policies. On Wednesday, May 9, Cohen visited the Harriman Institute at Columbia University to debate Stanford Professor and former Ambassador Michael McFaul, who is currently promoting his new book ‘From Cold War to Hot Peace.’ Gessen describes McFaul as “a Russophile” opposed to unilateralism who’s also “an avid internationalist and democracy promoter.” For almost two hours, Cohen and McFaul exchanged their very different views on America’s Russia policy. …

Click here for: “Cohen vs. McFaul Is Russia or America to blame for the New Cold War?” – Meduza/Kevin Rothrock

Closing statements
 
Cohen: ‘I’ve known Michael a long time, but never well. Geography. Politics. But I’ve always really liked him, as much as I’ve disagreed with him. He is a decent and affable civil man with no cynicism in him. He believes what he says, alas.’
McFaul: Yes, Gorbachev was an essential, heroic figure of history. He seized his moment. ‘It’s an accident of history that Vladimir Putin became president.’ Boris Nemtsov was Yeltsin’s initial choice to succeed him. He was ‘the chosen one’ and ‘the anointed one.’ But then came the market collapse in August 1998 (an ‘exogenous shock’), and Nemtsov was swept out with the rest of the cabinet.
 
[Turning to Cohen] ‘You’re one of the people whom I feel that I need to read, so I can think about alternative arguments. I want people to come away from this [debate] and get out of their comfort zones and stop just thinking in your bubble.'”