The current relations between the United States and Russia are at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War. Modern Russia is not the Soviet Union; that’s why Washington should cool down its aggressive rhetoric towards Russia.

If the United States continues its hostile policy towards Russia, Washington might face a war with Russia. This time, it's not going to be just another proxy war on some other country's territory, but a full-scale war on American soil, US journalist Jack Hanick wrote for the Observer.

This is a huge foreign policy mistake, Hanick said, adding that the United States will pay dearly for its hawkish approach and for not respecting Russia.

International lawyer: 'Many in US establishment want war with Russia for economic profits' ─► http://t.co/LhkhlIs1Gi pic.twitter.com/TcJX0Bhmwd — Oh boy what a shot (@ohboywhatashot) 9 июля 2015

"If new hostilities start, Russia will not let the war be a proxy war where the US supplies weapons and advisors and lets others do the ‘boots on the ground' combat. Russia will take the war to the US," Hanick argued.

He added that Russians understand that the US might not handle a full-on war on its own soil, because the last time Americans fought on their home turf was during the Civil War.

Number of soldiers for #Russian #airborne troops could increase from 45,000 to 60,000 men Read http://t.co/gG41uTzmn1 pic.twitter.com/JLh1VCA2b8 — Army Recognition (@ArmyRecognition) 31 июля 2015

Hanick also criticized the US media for failing to provide a critical analysis of US-Russian relations, especially from Russia's point of view. This one-sided coverage prevents Americans from seeing and possibly understanding the Russian side of the argument.

"Americans believe that Russians are fed propaganda by the state-controlled media… This is not so. There are more than 300 TV stations available in Moscow. Only 6 are state-controlled. The truth is that Russians prefer hearing the news from the state rather than the Internet or other sources," Hanick said.

The current portrayal of Russia in the media leads to an aggressive approach from Washington. Both Republicans and Democrats talk tough and agree on hostile policies when it comes to Moscow. Nobody even dares to talk about alternative policies. When spoken, they're immediately regarded as weak and criticized as "appeasement," likened to Britain's 1930's-era foreign policy towards Nazi Germany that ultimately failed.

Washington must not follow the old Cold War strategy against Moscow. Modern Russia isn't the Soviet Union. Unlike its predecessor, Russia doesn't want to conquer and dominate the entire world; it doesn't even claim to be a superpower. All Russia wants is to retain its own national identity and have a fair say in regional politics, the US journalist said.