Cool War

On Christmas Day 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as the last leader of the Soviet Union, ending 44 years of ideological conflict, nuclear brinkmanship and military combat-by-proxy with the U.S. forever. Or so it seemed. Now, Russia and the U.S. have squared off on either side of conflicts in Ukraine, in Syria and in cyberspace. Russia stands accused of meddling in elections in the U.S. and Europe, along with carrying out assassinations and attempted hits in Britain. A Russian leader is proposing an economic and political alternative to Western-style democracy. Is the Cold War back? The veteran U.S. statesman Henry Kissinger said it’s possible. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said it’s happening. Donald Trump's presidency promised to ease tensions, though instead they show signs of getting worse.

Russian jets have been buzzing NATO airspace and naval vessels at a rate not seen since the days of the Soviet Union. The alliance has strengthened its presence along Russia’s borders in response to Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Political oratory has also developed a Cold War tone, with President Vladimir Putin accusing the U.S. and European Union of trying to humiliate Russia. The U.S. and EU have imposed sanctions on Russia, another feature of the Cold War. All that promised to change under President Trump, who as a candidate questioned the key Western security alliances that Russia has long opposed and tilted toward the Kremlin's position on issues like the Syrian civil war and Crimea. But since taking office, investigations into Trump officials' possible collusion with Russia and its meddling in the 2016 U.S. election -- allegations Russia denies -- have complicated efforts to improve relations. In Syria, U.S. jets killed scores of Russian mercenaries in February as they attacked U.S. positions. The U.K., meanwhile, accused Russia of poisoning a former spy with a nerve agent in Europe's first chemical weapons attack since World War II.