While the attention of America has been fixed on the presidential election, relations between Russia and the US have deteriorated to the point that foreign policy experts are now talking about open conflict between the two countries. Vladimir Putin has made several startlingly bellicose moves in recent weeks and President Obama is promising retaliation for Russian hacks of our democracy and threatening a war crimes tribunal for the Russian slaughter of civilians in Aleppo. "This is a conflict, there should be no doubt," said Matthew Rojansky, director of the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center, on the US-Russia confrontation. The problem is, normal channels of communication that would ordinarily serve to resolve conflict have been frozen. Such a state of affairs has not been seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Consider: 1. Russian jets have been buzzing US warships off the coast of Ukraine and intercepting US spy planes. 2. Putin has withdrawn from a...(Read Full Post)