Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Stephen Cohen on Trump in Helsinki

It will take time to write up a commentary on this interview, but I want to bring it to your attention anyway. It’s a transcript of Adam Mate’s interview with Professor Stephen Cohen on the Trump-Russia question.

Since both men write for the Nation, no one dares say that they belong to the vast right wing conspiracy. Neither is a Trump supporter. Quite the contrary, both are good liberals or progressives.

And yet, both have integrity, sufficient integrity to judge policy by objective standards, not to dismiss what Trump did because Trump did it. Cohen has appeared on television shows, defending Trump’s handling of the Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin. He counts among the very few who are doing so, and given his expertise and his objectivity, we pay special attention to his analysis.

Without further ado, here is a link to the conversation. It is long and detailed, but useful for allowing us to appreciate the depth of Cohen’s thinking on this matter. And to shed some light into the darkness.

1 comment:

Ares Olympus said...

A defense of Russia certainly seems to transcend left-right ideologies. Meanwhile for the majority Russia and Putin make a good scapegoat for whatever issues they want to push, and Putin, like ISIS, perhaps even appreciates his reputation exceeding reality of his exploits.

Overall, I'd have more trust that Trump wasn't being played if Trump didn't repeatedly say he likes people because they say good things about him. That seems equivalent to putting a "please kick me" sign on your own back.