American Committee for East–West Accord

Stephen F. Cohen reestablished the American Committee for East–West Accord in 2015 with the assistance of Gilbert Doctorow.[11] A formal launch event was held in November of that year.[12] In addition to Cohen and Doctorow, other members of the group's board of directors include Donald McHenry, William vanden Heuvel, Bill Bradley, Chuck Hagel, Jack F. Matlock Jr., and John E. Pepper, Jr.[12][13][11] Cohen was quoted by Zoë Schlanger, in Newsweek (from Cohen's Nation article entitled "Distorting Russia") as objecting to what he termed "media malpractice" in covering Russia as approaching the terminology in use during the Cold War.[7]

The impetus for reforming the committee was, according to its executive editor James Carden, the perception that "anyone who has had the temerity to question whether NATO’s relentless expansion eastward to Russia’s borders has contributed to the crisis [in Ukraine], can look forward to being labeled a 'useful idiot', a 'dupe', or a 'Kremlin apologist'. The trend towards character assassination in lieu of substantive debate has been one of the defining features of the debate over US–Russia policy".[14]

According to an article in The Daily Beast, the organization is "partly funded by Katrina vanden Heuvel's family." (vanden Heuvel waws married to Stephen F. Cohen)[15] Another article by Cathy Young published in The Daily Beast said that vanden Heuvel's father was listed as ACEWA's president in its incorporating papers and that the address for the foundation which he founded (the Melinda and William J. vanden Heuvel Foundation) was also listed on the committee's tax filing in March 2014.[10]

According to a Daily Beast article by Casey Michel, Carden called Michel a "snievling shit" through a Linkedin exchange and threatened him with physical violence after Michel pointed out that Carden contributed to the Kremlin-funded Russia Direct outlet.[15] MIchel said that Carden later apologized.[15]

In 2017, Carden asserted that Moscow's alleged actions of political interference were "no different from what the U.S. government has done to promote its interests abroad."[16] This assertion was disputed by Clint Watts, a former FBI agent, counterterrorism specialist and fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute who said "the idea that the U.S. engages in such activities was preposterous."[16]

Co-founder Gilbert Doctorow has been critical of the United States,[17] the West,[17] Russian opposition (including Boris Nemtsov,[18] the 2011–2013 Russian protests,[19] and Andrei Kozyrev[20]) and other Russian entities (including the Carnegie Moscow Center[21] and Lilia Shevtsova)[21] in his works. An article on the ThinkProgress website by Casey Michel in February 2018 commented that ACEWA had removed any mention of Doctorow from its website and speculated that the action may have resulted from "Doctorow’s recent decision to defend" Russia Insider, "a pro-Kremlin site notorious for publishing rank anti-Semitism."[22] Carden said that the decision to remove Doctorow's material was due to “web maintenance [that] was called for in light of recent events” and added that "it had nothing to do at all with Russia Insider”[22] while Cohen said that the decision to remove Doctorow's material was to "clarify that [there was] no ongoing ACEWA relationship with Doctorow after he left the Board" in March 2017.[22]

The organization was established with the intent of encouraging discussion and debate in the U.S. at a time when the United States has started drifting into a new Cold War with Russia.[23]

The organization has been criticized by Nina Khrushcheva,[24] Lilia Shevtsova,[25] Mark Galeotti[26] and Michael McFaul (former US ambassador to Russia)[27] and has been described by Cathy Young as having a "decidedly pro-Putin lineup."[10] Young also criticized the works of co-founder Gilbert Doctorow, which she described as pro-Kremlin and serving up a "steady diet of frank Kremlin apologism and vitriolic attacks on Putin foes."[10]