Dear CCI Friends,
February 4-11, marked the 80th anniversary of the Yalta Conference where Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met to thrash out the peace terms that would end the bloodiest conflict in history, World War II. Virtually nothing marking this anniversary appeared in the Western press which is too bad; that event might serve as a reminder of what people (‘leaders’) who dislike and distrust one another (even if they are ‘allies’) can accomplish when they have the courage to sit down together in the interest of peace.
History, as Mark Twain may or may not have said, rarely repeats itself but it does rhyme. Stephen Bryen’s article, below, explores some of those vague rhymes discernable in the tortuous road – not to peace, yet, but – to the terms that allow the combatants and enablers to talk about how to talk about peace in Ukraine.
“The Trump administration probably cannot negotiate a comprehensive deal for Ukraine immediately and will need to come up with an initial solution to try and halt the fighting. Doing so is a rocky road ahead, partly because the Russians have zero trust in anything coming from the west, partly because the Ukrainians are unwilling partners, and partly because Europe wants to continue the war.” (Emphasis mine.)
https://weapons.substack.com/p/the-rocky-road-to-a-ukraine-deal
Can we imagine a Yalta II? Please give us your thoughts.
Sincerely in Peace,
Paula Day
Center for Citizen Initiatives