Is This the ‘Worst Moment in American-Russian Relations’ Since the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Donald Trump campaigned on the promise of cooperation with Russia, but just four months into his presidency, Trump announced the U.S. “may be at an all-time low in terms of relationship with Russia.” His remarks come the same week as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s visit to Moscow.

Tillerson echoed Trump’s remarks, reportedly telling President Vladimir Putin that Russia’s relationship with the U.S. is at a “low point.”

Stephen Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies and politics and contributing editor at The Nation magazine, recently joined Democracy Now! for an in-depth conversation on the current state of relations between the U.S. and Russia.

“I’ve been doing this for 40 years, studying American-Russian relations, as a professor, but I’ve also been inside occasionally,” Cohen told hosts Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh. “I think this is the most dangerous moment in American-Russian relations, at least since the Cuban missile crisis. And arguably, it’s more dangerous, because it’s more complex.”

Cohen also analyzes how military intervention in Syria is contributing to the tension between the U.S. and Russia. Earlier this week, for instance, Russia blocked a United Nations resolution denouncing the chemical attacks in Syria.

“Are we going to make an alliance with Russia to war against terrorism in Syria and elsewhere, or not?” Cohen asks. “That’s the issue today.”

Watch the two-part interview below:

—Posted by Emma Niles