Center for Citizen Initiatives

Bringing Russian and American citizens together in Peace since 1983.

Important WEBINAR – Thursday, October 28!

Dear CCI Friends,

I’ve been asked by Paul Grenier of the Simeon Weil Center for Political Philosophy to pass the word about this webinar on Thursday, October 28. This is short notice because Paul has just returned from travel to Russia.

“Is Russia Fascist” is a terrific topic to explore. More interesting to me, “Is Russia Post Liberal?” Having just read Grenier’s announcement, I conclude that I am Post-Liberal. Labels never interested me much, but I want to explore this one.  At last I can see where I’ve come from as a protesting teenager into long years of adult life to where I find myself today at age 85. “Post-liberals seek to build constructive alternatives that combine greater economic justice with more social solidarity,” the material says. That fits with where I am. How about you?

Please attend the following if you can, and let’s discuss further.

Sharon (signature)

Sharon Tennison
Center for Citizen Initiatives

Webinar, Thursday, Oct. 28
(3 PM – 4:15 PM, EST)

What is Russia’s National Idea?

A discussion with Marlene Laruelle, author of Is Russia Fascist?

Discussants:

Anatol Lieven

Nicolai Petro

Paul Robinson

Paul Grenier (moderator)

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Overview of Russia Sept. 20 – Oct. 17, 2021

Dear CCI Friends,

One near disaster after another has hit my small world since arriving back from Russia. I’ll explain later after first getting this “overview” emailed to you. I’ve searched all over my computer for this draft created over the ocean, and today found it lodged in “Archives” along with a number of other emails that should have been in “Sent”. Strange? Yes. I wondered if I’d dreamed that I’d written it! Here it is. Kindly read, as is. Other pieces will follow this one.

Sharon (signature)

Sharon Tennison
Center for Citizen Initiatives

Dear CCI Followers,

My best intentions to send you emails during our travels throughout Russia, came to naught! Paula Day, our stalwart CCI volunteer, Volodya Shestakov, CCI’s 35-year Russian VIP, and I were kept busy day and night from September 20 to October 17.

Our first city was Moscow where we settled on which hotel to use for our large June 2022 trip ahead, and met with numerous CCI friends. There was no time to capture these happenings on computer after meetings in the evenings.

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A Short Look at Where We Are: 2021

Dear CCI Friends,

What’s happening today, in the shadow of our mostly disastrous 20-year Afghanistan occupation and pullout, is creating a volcano of realizations that we in America have been at war for six decades … all for less than decent motives.

Those who suspected or knew what was happening thought this current situation would be covered up again, per usual. But no … military brass, foot soldiers and ordinary Americans  are opening up painful truths as we move forward. A mass catharsis looks to be underway. NATO nations normally subservient to U.S. policy are splintering off to make decisions for themselves. In this short period of a month or two, we have forever lost our #1 place in the world. Too dramatic you might say? I don’t think so.

Meanwhile, two rising giants stand by watching it all. Apparently the Presidents of China and Russia have been quietly advising Afghans for months, trying to reduce tensions and increase positive possibilities … but letting it be known that good behavior will be rewarded to help Afghans with economic development if they follow a sensible course.

As it turns out Afghanistan has a wealth of subsoil minerals needed by the rest of the world, thus allowing them to drop opium production to survive. China’s Belt and Road Initiative will provide much needed trade and economic support going forward. Too good to be true? Maybe not. While America is trillions of dollars in debt from fighting wars across the Middle East, China and Russia have been figuring out how to avoid wars and build economic alliances to benefit themselves and smaller nations across half of the world.

So where are we headed as a nation? Is a financial crisis coming? Will we have to face what other nations have suffered in the past? Fortunately China and Russia won’t go to war with us; but they are putting in motion quite different solutions for the world in which we will live. Beside these two countries, our U.S. solutions and actions of the past thirty years look quite paltry.

Articles such as the one below are just part of what we must change. There are no quick fixes. There seem to be no serious solutions in either U.S. political party unless we rethink everything in our existing lexicon. What can we do? For starters we can stop putting money where we have spent it during the past few decades.

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Traveling to Russia Sept. 26 – Oct. 17!

Dear CCI Friends,

I am prepping for an autumn trip to Russia, leaving on September 26th and returning on October 17. You will receive fewer CCI emails during this time. However we will send trip reports as we travel throughout Russia.

CCI volunteer Paula Day will travel with me for meetings in Moscow, Irkutsk out in Siberia, then south to Krasnodar, Crimea’s three cities, Volgograd and St. Petersburg. At about the same time on another route, CCI volunteers Krishen Mehta and Dennis Orblad will travel to Moscow, Kazan and several other Russian cities. We will explore various aspects of each city. Also, we will meet with our Russian PEP Fellows to see if they wish to host CCI delegates traveling to Russia (June 20 – July 5, 2022). More about this large delegation after we return home in October.

Unfortunately, CCI travelers are about the only Americans getting fresh eyes on Russia these days. During my June trip, tour buses were absent on Russian streets, hotel lobbies appeared near empty. It was strange to observe. But happily, Russians had their cities all to themselves during COVID! Russia’s “White Nights” of June and July have always been packed with tourists from abroad.

The upside was clear — Russians were really enjoying their parks, canals, sidewalks and streets. Even auto drivers seemed patient to share space with bicycles, roller skaters and scooters! It all looked like great fun …and there was no honking of horns. My apartment balcony looks down on an intersection of four streets and two driveways to other streets. I watched this flow of traffic and people for hours at a time. When COVID vanishes, Russians will remember these years when they had their streets and canals to themselves, a time when they didn’t have to dodge tourists.

From the beginning of COVID, travel between our countries all but stopped, except for Russians living here in the United States who take annual trips home to Russia. This past June I traveled on a huge Aeroflot plane along with hundreds of Russian mothers taking their babies and young children back to Russian grandparents for the summer. This is a long, long Russian tradition which apparently those living in the West still consider important. I saw no other Americans on the plane.

More to follow as time permits during the coming weeks!

Sharon (signature)

Sharon Tennison
Center for Citizen Initiatives

9/11 At 20 Years: A Week Of Reflection

Dear CCI Friends,

You may have received this notice below from the Quincy Institute, but just in case you didn’t, Google the Institute to learn about this series, it promises to be very important. Bacevich is identifying Quincy and himself to the U.S. public unlike any other person/group in the field. Let’s hope he has a grand design in mind for 2024.

Sharon (signature)

Sharon Tennison
Center for Citizen Initiatives

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