Dear CCI Friends,

There is a glut of significant news on the deteriorating situation in Europe this week – all of it depressing.  What impresses us the most is the disconnect we see between the rhetoric coming from the EU-NATO leaders, what the Russian officials say, what our trusted analysts have to say and what we at CCI know from contact with friends.

One such friend, Fred Weir, Moscow correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor for decades, sat down for an interview with Glenn Diesen recently.  Please see his sober, sane take on the current situation from an historical perspective that begins with the lead-up to the end of the Soviet Union.

Fred Weir: Russia And NATO On A Collision Course

https://glenndiesen.substack.com/p/fred-weir-nato-and-russia-on-a-collision

Alastair Crooke offers, as always, invaluable insight on the current clamor for war within the EU.  One must be left speechless at the spectacle of EU ‘leaders’ dressed in military fatigues for a group photo signaling what, their readiness to pick up weapons and march on Russia?

Alastair Crooke:  “What exactly is this hysteria gripping European technocrats?”

https://conflictsforum.substack.com/p/the-faulty-premises-underlying-europeans

We know of the censorship issue in Europe and still find it hard to believe it happens so blatantly in the ‘liberal’ West.  Iuliia Mendel is a Ukrainian journalist and former press secretary for President Zelenskyy and she knows about censorship in Europe, too – up close and very personal.

Iuliia Mendel:  They Tried To Ban My Speech

“Why Zelenskyy is so afraid of Ukrainians talking about peace.”

https://iuliiamendel.substack.com/p/they-tried-to-ban-my-speech-i-gave

There is a lot to take in here, folks.  We look forward to hearing your views on it all.

Best regards,
The Directors
The Center for Citizen Initiatives

Dear CCI Friends,

The news from Europe is not good and we can only watch in disbelief.  Here are the observations on the matter from two honest journalist observers.  

We are familiar with Scott Ritter’s work and take his views seriously:  “The situation today is eerily reminiscent of the months leading up to August 1914…”

“Give Peace A Chance”

“…are we serious about actually giving peace a chance, or are we simply going to give lip service to a cause while being frog-marched by the powers that be toward a destiny we all can see, but refuse to acknowledge?”

https://scottritter.substack.com/p/give-peace-a-chance-9dc

Ben Aris is a British journalist who began reporting from Russia in 1993.  He has developed an expertise in Eastern European geopolitics we believe deserves our attention.  Please consider:

Is Russia Really Planning to Attack Europe?

“More sober analysis warns that hyping the threat runs the danger of starting a war that no one intended to fight in the first place.”

https://bneeditor.substack.com/p/is-europe-talking-itself-into-war

For your consideration.

The Center for Citizen Initiatives

Dear CCI Friends,

Recently there has been another flurry of ‘official’ US delegations to Russia:  Kuchner, Witkoff and Ratcliffe.  We’ve not seen any resultant analysis or explanations of these visits nor has there been any visible official outcome.

There has also been a recent visit by a separate group of Americans, among them John Meirsheimer and Larry Johnson, who are speaking freely of what they saw, who they talked to and how they interpreted their encounters.  

Please consider their contribution to our understanding of the current situation:

Larry Johnson:  Dispatch from Moscow

https://larrycjohnson.substack.com/p/dispatch-from-moscow-the-collapse

Prof. John Meirsheimer:  The Russia I Saw

The Center for Citizen Initiatives

Dear CCI Friends,

We are deluged with news and analysis of the war in Ukraine and with constant, and contrary, speculation on who will ‘win.’  There is little being said about what comes after the tragedy ends and the major players have left the stage.

Professor Nicolai Petro has decades of experience in observing and analyzing the countries and he has given the matter serious thought.  In the interview below he focuses our attention on the possibilities for a post-war Ukraine.  Could it possibly be a country purged of both Russophobia and Russophilia, the divisions that brought the present disaster?  Petro’s deep assessment of the options for the future is thoughtful and thought provoking.  

Please give us your thoughts.

What Is A ‘True’ Ukrainian?

The war has not made the answer to this essential question of Ukrainian identity any easier.

https://glenndiesen.substack.com/p/nicolai-petro-why-the-west-fears

The Center for Citizen Initiatives

Dear CCI Friends,

The NATO war in Ukraine is not in the future according to Glenn Diesen;  it has been with us for years.  Please read and give us your thoughts.

” Acknowledging NATO’s involvement in this war is necessary to begin negotiations……..”

NATO’s War in Ukraine – Glenn Diesen’s Substack

The Center for Citizen Initiatives