With Obama’s scheduled trip to Russia next week, talk has once again turned to the future of U.S.-Russian relations. In his interview with Laura Flanders on GRITtv, Stephen Cohen, author of Soviet Fates and Lost Alternatives: From Stalinism to the New Cold War, argues that there is a great deal of hostility among the Russian political class toward the United States. This is a result, Cohen suggests, of misguided American policies toward Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. Specifically, NATO expansionism, threats to Russia’s nuclear security, and broken promises by the United States have led to frayed relations. In the interview, Cohen details the missteps in the immediate years after the Cold War and during the Clinton and Bush administrations that have led to tensions between the two nations.

Cohen also explains why he is pessimistic that the Obama administration will offer an effective new policy toward Russia. (*Please note the embeded video is not working on some versions of Internet Explorer. To watch the video, visit GRITtv.)