Welcome to Irrussianality! This blog focuses on two subjects: the relationship between Russia and the West; and the apparently irrational decision making processes which dominate much of international relations (IR). The two are, of course, connected: relations between Russia and the West are marred by prejudice, misunderstanding, and misperceptions. I hope through this blog to contribute in some small way to rational foreign policy.
I am a professor at the University of Ottawa. I write about Russian and Soviet history, military history, and military ethics. Links to my books are available in the ‘Books’ menu.
[…] Now comes Biden, making moves in Russia policy that are essentially conciliatory – freezing a military aid package to Ukraine, ending US sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline linking Germany to Russia, a return of ambassadors – and setting a summit that can reasonably be regarded as a modest propaganda coup for Putin.
And yet, all this – which if Trump had done it, would have led to screams of betrayal and have been seen as proof that Trump was working on behalf of the Kremlin – has passed by with nary of a squeak of protest from the same American liberals who just a short while ago were portraying Moscow as the source of all evil. Läs artikel