Scott talks with Branko Marcetic about some cables he recently dug up that show U.S. officials and western governments voicing concern about Russia’s reaction to NATO expansion going back to the 1990s. Marcetic’s work adds to the evidence that shatters the argument that anyone connecting NATO expansion to the February invasion is either an amplifier or victim of a Russian disinformation operation. Scott and Marcetic go over what he found and zoom out to examine the broader context.

Discussed on the show:

“Diplomatic Cables Show Russia Saw NATO Expansion as a Red Line” (ACURA)
“Ignoring Gorbachev’s Warnings” (Current Affairs)
“‘Now or Never’: The Immediate Origins of Putin’s Preventative War on Ukraine” (Journal of Military and Strategic Studies)
Retired General Wesely Clark saying the US cannot let nuclear weapons deter its efforts

Branko Marcetic is a writer for Jacobin Magazine, a fellow at In These Times, and host of the 1/200 podcast. He is the author of Yesterday’s Man: The Case Against Joe Biden. Follow him on Twitter @BMarchetich.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

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128. Should Coaches Coach Coaches?