Dear CCI Friends and Colleagues,

Early June brings two anniversaries significant for their meaning in the history of US/Russia relations.  The first is June 6.  Eighty years ago this June 6, the Western allies – the United States, United Kingdom and Canada – went ashore in Normandy and joined their Eastern ally – the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – in the final push to eliminate the horror of Nazism from Europe. 

A mere seventeen years later, the US and the USSR found themselves not only no longer allies but on the verge of mutual annihilation over the placement of nuclear missiles in Cuba.

How did such a thing happen?  Would the enmity have occurred if there had been no Manhattan Project, no development of nuclear weapons anywhere by anyone?  We were certainly not deadly enemies before WWII; did fear of the weapon we created make us so after?

June 10 is the anniversary of the famous American University commencement speech by President John F. Kennedy in which he patiently and eloquently made the case for peace with the USSR a mere eight months after the two countries pulled back from the brink of nuclear war.

Today we find ourselves confronted by the prospect of a new D Day – Doomsday.  It sounds almost too melodramatic, doesn’t it?  But if you will read the article by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, below, you will begin to feel the real immediacy of our situation. 

And after that, we hope you will take the time to listen to Kennedy’s greatest speech – perhaps the greatest speech ever given by a US President.  Some recent polls suggest over 60% of Americans believe World War III is inevitable; they are wrong, such deadly folly is not inevitable.  Kennedy taught us that.

Sincerely,

The Directors
Center for Citizen Initatives

---

How Close Are We To ‘Midnight?’

May 30, 2024

By Jeffrey D. Sachs

The overriding job of any U.S. president is to keep the nation safe. In the nuclear age, that mainly means avoiding nuclear Armageddon. 

Joe Biden’s reckless and incompetent foreign policy is pushing us closer to annihilation. He joins a long and undistinguished list of presidents who have gambled with Armageddon, including his immediate predecessor and rival, Donald Trump. 

[Continue Reading]

 His Words, His Voice

June 10, 1963

By Former President John F. Kennedy

[Continue to John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Audio File]

Dear CCI friends, 

As you probably know, Russian athletes are barred from entering many international events. And when the athletes are allowed to compete at the  highest level, there is all sorts of subterfuge against them. 

The case of Kamila Valieva is a striking example. It is described here: 

Was Russia’s Top Figure-Skater Drugged at the 2022 Beijing Olympics

Some Western officials are now trying to do the same to Chinese athletes. This is described here:

New York Times Ignites China Doping Controversy Leading Into the 2024 Paris Olympics

Instead of working toward a world of friendship and competitive rivalry, the US seems intent on doing all it can to undermine Russia and China by all means.  Everybody loses. 

Which makes it all the more important to continue the important mission and work of CCI. 

Rick Sterling 
CCI Delegate 2016 & 2017

---

“Nocturne on Ice”

On the topic of figure skating, CCI would like to include a beautiful performance by Maria Lyubitskaya from St. Petersburg, and in this video, she skates on the crystal clear ice of Lake Baikal .

November 18, 2023

Music by Edward Lozansky

Video by Stas Tolstnev

[Continue to Video – Nocturne on Ice]

Dear CCI Friends and Colleagues,

Are Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping just “two authoritarians bound together by nothing more than their shared enmity toward the West” as the political/media faction in the West seems to believe?  Or were their recent meetings in Beijing and Harbin indicative of something truly significant as one experienced American journalist believes?

Patrick Lawrence has given his analysis of the recent meetings between the two leaders and put this latest summit in the context of those that have happened in the last few years.  It is striking to consider that the other two superpowers on this planet have agreed to cooperate peacefully on a wide range of subjects – not least of which being their decision to resist the United States’s insistence that it alone should formulate the ‘Rules’ for cooperation for everyone else.  Where does this take us?  Or rather, where does this leave us and our Rules?

As always, we look forward to your views on this latest installment of ‘As the World Turns.’

The Directors
Center for Citizen Initiatives

---

“Putin and Xi in Beijing”

May 18, 2024

By Patrick Lawrence / Original to SheerPost

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping added another to their count of 40–odd summit meetings when the Russian and Chinese presidents convened in Beijing, later proceeding to Harbin in Northeast China, for two days of talks that ended Friday. At 9:55 Thursday evening Beijing time, a day’s work done, the two sat behind a long table draped in green to address “members of the media,” as Xi put it. 

Western officials and the media that clerk for them have done their best, per usual, to dismiss this latest encounter of the Russian and Chinese leaders as of no account, just two authoritarians bound together by nothing more than their shared enmity toward the West. Pay no attention. We ought not miss the significance of what Putin and Xi had to say this week to one another and to the rest of humanity. The world just turned once again. 

[Continue Reading]

Dear CCI Friends,

In a world engulfed by global conflicts and attempts to re-write history, the light of a memory of the end of a war must not be allowed to be extinguished.  

Kindest regards,

The Directors
Center for Citizen Initiatives

---

April 25: “Meeting on the Elbe” Anniversary 

Revival of ‘Spirit of the Elbe’ is the Roadmap to Peace

April 21, 2024

By Edward Lozansky 

Dear Friends,

Every year on April 25, we celebrate the anniversary of the historical “Meeting on the Elbe” in 1945 on the eve of our joint victory over Nazi Germany.  This year, we decided to have a flash mob Zoom meeting with 1-minute greetings from around the world.

[Continue to Read Full Article]

Meeting on the Elbe – Встреча на Эльбе (April 25, 1945)

May 7, 2022

By Edward Lozansky

As the rifts between East and West continue to tear apart the fabric of civilization while amplifying the risk of nuclear war, it is of the greatest moral imperative that we take this opportunity to celebrate the deep common history and struggle of the USA and Russia whose cooperative efforts ended the threat of nazism in 1945.

The “Spirit of the Elbe” is an example of how our countries can put aside differences, build trust, and cooperate in pursuit of a greater cause. As we work today to confront the most important challenges of the 21st century, we pay tribute to the valor and courage of all those who fought together to defeat fascism. Their heroic feat will never be forgotten.

[Continue to Watch Video]

Dear CCI Friends,

Veteran NPR Editor, Uri Berliner, reflects on the direction that NPR has taken regarding the definition of diversity and a missing component, diversity of thought. Former NYT reporter John Varoli, based in Russia in the 1990’s, recently returned to Russia and travelled around multiple regions. There was a time when John’s travelogue would have been a welcome contribution to NPR.  Would it be that today?  Be that as it may, we would like to share it with you alongside Uri’s reflections.

On the topic of day-to-day life.  What is important to you in your day-to-day life these days?

All the best to all of you,

The Directors
Center for Citizen Initiatives

---

How NPR Lost America’s Trust

April 9, 2024

By Uri Berliner 

You know the stereotype of the NPR listener: an EV-driving, Wordle-playing, tote bag–carrying coastal elite. It doesn’t precisely describe me, but it’s not far off. I’m Sarah Lawrence–educated, was raised by a lesbian peace activist mother, I drive a Subaru, and Spotify says my listening habits are most similar to people in Berkeley. 

I fit the NPR mold. I’ll cop to that.

[Continue to Read Full Article]

Why Biden Doesn’t Want Americans to Travel to Russia

April 3, 2024

By John Varoli

Western perceptions of Russia are based on propaganda wrapped in lies, inside mounds of disinformation.  So, what’s the real Russia like?  I went there to find out.  The results were shocking.

[Continue to Read Full Article]