Dear CCI Friends,

Innumerable Americans are speaking out today on the near insurmountable issues we as a nation face from 2020 forward. It’s near impossible to keep up with all of them.

One voice of considerable importance has come to my attention recently: that is former West Point graduate, 20-year U.S. military, Colonel during the Vietnam War and prolific author, Andrew Bacevich. He is now the first President of the new think-tank,  The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Remember Bacevich’s name. I believe he will be a major voice in the near future. His latest book, The Age of Illusions, has just come out.

Please watch his 12 minute video, Andrew Bacevich On America’s Long-Standing Wars, before reading the following article. After both, let us know what you think.

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Dear CCI Friends,

Whether we are Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Independents or non-party persons, we can feel gratitude and thanksgiving in knowing that these two Presidents of the most powerful nuclearized nations in the world stand together in making this joint statement.

Sharon Tennison
Center for Citizen Initiatives

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Dear CCI Readers,

The New York Times has descended into political expediency and pressure for years. Finally, on April 23, the Times printed this article below, chronicling America’s tragic and likely irreversible decline. It comes from Berlin’s NYT Bureau Chief, Katrin Bennhold, a lovely and assertive young woman who can take the hits, if necessary.

This Berlin article may be the turning point in U.S. print media acknowledging and facing the consequences about what America has turned into over the past several decades. A number of elements are dealt with below; some with sadness, some with relief, others still questioning … but the verdict of all seems to be, “what we thought had been … and was, is gone forever.”

Over 1800+ comments to this article were registered following the first few hours after release, thus showing the reader’s concurrence. I read through dozens of them. They carried loss, regret, blame of Trump, deep concern … but none had hope of return to America’s glorious past. To me it seems like a coming-to-grips-with … what is.

My question of the moment is, why has the NYT allowed it to come out in this manner, at this time?

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Dear CCI Friends,

What a strange thing that America’s two major parties, Democrats and Republicans, don’t want to see decent relations between the world’s two great nuclear powers??? Can you believe this?

The article below is written by a third U.S. Party member, a Libertarian. Please scan and ponder … What rational mind could go along with both U.S. parties intentions to create bad relations between two nuclearized giants!

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World Beyond War

Q: How did you take the news of the pandemic?
A: I think I took it the way most people did. Initially, there was hope that it could be controlled, localized. But things took a very different turn and the epidemic spread far and wide. Unprecedented measures and decisions became necessary. Leaders, citizens and international organizations found themselves in an extremely difficult situation. All of this will have to be thoroughly analyzed, but the priority now is to take things in hand and defeat this new, vicious enemy.

Q: How do you assess the measures now being taken?A: The main concern must be people’s security and saving people’s lives. I assume that the steps now being taken are based on science and the advice of the most competent experts. Right now they are practically unanimous that lockdown is necessary. This is something both the authorities and the people must accept. A lot depends on people’s behavior. Utmost responsibility and discipline is of the essence. Then we may hope that the worst could be avoided.

Q: Is it time yet for lessons learned? Do you agree that the world will never be the same?A: That depends precisely on what lessons will be learned. I recall recent history of how we addressed the nuclear threat. We understood that it is our common enemy, a threat to all of us, and the leaders of two nations, the Soviet Union and the United States declared that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. Then came Reykjavik and the first treaties eliminating nuclear weapons. By now, 85% of those arsenals have been eliminated. We must continue along this path but we now see new challenges. Together with my friends in the Forum of Nobel Peace Laureates we have for years been calling for a radical rethinking of international politics. Let me quote from out appeal adopted back in 2005:

“Focusing on meeting human needs and having a reverence for life are the foundation of human security. Excessive military expenditures actually breeds insecurity. Two areas where funds need to be channeled by the international community are education and health, particularly regarding the scourges of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis through both protection and prevention.” What could one add to this? Just the name of the new dreadful disease.

Over the past five years all we’ve been hearing is talk about weapons, missiles and airstrikes. But is it not clear by now that wars and the arms race cannot solve today’s global problems? War is a defeat, a failure of politics! This common tragedy has reminded us of the futility of trying to go into hiding and sit it out, ignoring the threats that we face. In today’s world, no one can hope to go into hiding!

And so I’ll never tire of repeating: We need to demilitarize world affairs, international politics and political thinking and reallocate funds from military purposes to the purposes serving human security. We need to rethink the very concept of security. Above all else, security should mean providing food, water, which is already in short supply, a clean environment and, as top priority, caring for people’s health.

To achieve human security we need to develop strategies, make preparations, plan and create reserves. This should be the responsibility of national leaders and leaders at all levels.

I believe that preparations should start now for an Emergency Session of the United Nations General Assembly, to be held as soon as the situation is stabilized. It should be about nothing less than revising the entire global agenda.

Q: Could I ask how things have changed for you and for the Gorbachev Foundation?A: Of course we are complying with all requirements and we have had to start working from home. I am communicating with colleagues by phone and we have created a discussion platform on the web. We’ll be adapting to the new circumstances. I’ve been asked to write an additional chapter for the English edition of my book What Is At Stake Now, to account for the new developments. I have agreed and will work on it.

Thanks to Pavel Palazhchenko and Metta Spencer.