Dear CCI Followers,

“It’s Time to Rethink Our Russia Policy,” was posted in Politico on Aug. 5th.

The article supports the thinking of 103 American signatories, the top end of U.S. Policy toward Russia over the past 30 years. I know of them and many of them know of our work. The signing of this many persons gives the document serious gravitas. Thus, we feel we must question some of the statements being asserted.

There is quite a bit in this document with which we totally agree, but there are other aspects which need to be questioned in light of today’s knowledge and facts.

Please scan the following: the Politico article, CCI’s statement, and finally the 103 signatories. A document with this many VIP signatories feels more like a Manifesto, which we believe must be addressed.

We have sent this article and our response to Politico and The National Interest … and now to you, our CCI readers, for your perspectives. Please forgive the length of this piece.

[Continue Reading]

Dear CCI Friends,

Please watch The Commemorative Remembrance of Hiroshima & Nagasaki.

Here is the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTigpUvzB78&feature=youtu.be.

Yesterday, August 6th, was the 75th Anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima.Nagasaki was bombed on August 9th. This video was released across the world yesterday.

The film is exceptionally beautiful … haunting I should say. I found myself transfixed by it; literally I was unable to move. I walked into my kitchen for water … planning to take my laptop to the sofa. The video began. I stood mesmerized in my kitchen without changing position until it was finished.

From the voices of Mikhail Gorbachev to George Schultz and many others, it quietly articulated its unbelievably powerful message. Images of loveliness and uplifting music intertwined the lofty yet serious ideas being presented.

[Continue Reading]

Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings

Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons, a URI Multiregion group, invites you to attend two special virtual gatherings and broadcasts.

Hiroshima/Nagasaki Accord Broadcast

Commemorating 75 years since the tragic atomic bombings, Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev and former US Secretary of State George Shultz, as well as the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, will share messages for peace.

Broadcasts on on August 6, 8, and 9.
Learn More / Register

Lessons From Nagasaki

On Saturday, Aug 8, at 7 pm ED, tune in for a special virtual gathering featuring stories from Nagasaki.

The broadcast will include messages from youth leaders and a Nagasaki bombing survivor, as well as prayers from religious leaders.
Learn More / Get Zoom Link

Dear CCI Followers,

The 75th Anniversary of the Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is upon us — August 6th and 9th. Regardless of how our nation has tried to gloss over this greatest horror ever perpetrated on fellow human beings … the facts remain, they happened.

The most devastating writing and photojournal I’ve seen about these bombings arrived yesterday from Consortium News. It is a patchwork of print media and actual photos (banned at the time) of the two cities in the wake of being hit by the two A Bombs. At the time, our leaders tried to minimize the horrific numbers of deaths and suffering unleashed on ordinary Japanese people.

It behooves us to ponder deeply the magnitude of this crime. It is our history. In ensuing years it has been rumored that the Japanese knew they had lost the war, that WW2 was all but over, and that the Japanese emperor was preparing treaties to end the war. If you know that these claims are untrue or true, please let us know. If true, the issue needs to be cleared up once and for all times.

PLEASE, take the time to scan this piece—click on the following:

Consortium News

It is particularly timely since our leaders today are marching us straight up to the edge of a Nuclear War by refusing to sign treaties and forgoing diplomacy to reduce the likelihood of nuclear war.

[Continue Reading]

Russia, US Willing to Continue Space Security Dialogue-US Department of State

Two sides have exchanged views on current and future space threats, policies, strategies, and doctrine

July 29, 2020
TASS

During the latest round of space security consultations in Vienna, Russia and the United States discussed existing and potential threats in this domain and expressed their willingness to continue the dialogue, the US Department of State’s office of the spokesperson said.

“In this meeting, the two sides exchanged views on current and future space threats, policies, strategies, and doctrine, and discussed a forward-looking agenda to promote safe, professional, and sustainable activities in space,” the press service said in a statement. ·

“Both delegations expressed interest in continuing these discussions and improving communications, such as on how to enhance communications between the two countries about space-related operational issues in order to reduce the risks of misunderstanding, help prevent or manage space-related incidents, and prevent inadvertent escalation,” the document reads.

The United States delegation included officials from the Departments of State, Defense, and Energy, as well as the National Security Council.

“In more than 13 hours of discussion, these senior U.S. civilian and military experts with·space policy and operational experience engaged in extensive discussions with Russian counterparts in the first space dialogue with Moscow in seven years,” the US Department of State said.

The working group on space security gathered in Vienna as part of Russian-US consultations on strategic stability.