Center for Citizen Initiatives

Bringing Russian and American citizens together in Peace since 1983.

(Video) A Glimpse Inside Russian Orthodoxy Today

Dear CCI Friends,

If there is any month that seems appropriate to discuss ‘things of the spirit,’ it is December, since Christmas, Hanukkah and other spiritual traditions are clumped together in this month. I’d like to share with you my evolving thoughts on Russian Orthodoxy, in addition to a CCI YouTube below that we recently put together on this topic:  A Glimpse into Russian Orthodoxy.

An American Antiochian Orthodox father and his two teenage sons applied to go on our September trip to Russia. Among other reasons, they hoped to visit with an American Orthodox priest who moved his family to Russia to continue his life as a Russian Orthodox priest. Our videographer and I traveled on this leg of the journey with them to Rostov Veliky as you will see from the YouTube video. This opened up another porthole for me into the faith which Russians are gradually beginning to explore in varying degrees.

Numbers of Russians today have begun for the first time to identify with the long religious history of Orthodoxy. They find comfort in being part of these traditions whether they go to church regularly or not. Quite a few of them wear small crosses around their necks … more so than at any time since the 1917 Revolution when the church was forbidden, sanctuaries were used for storage dumps and many priests were killed.

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Re-addressing the Azov Debacle!

Dear CCI Readers,

Never have I had more supporters and detractors than with yesterday’s post regarding the Azov debacle!

Worse still, I quoted Patrick Buchanan (whose humorous pieces I usually enjoy) regarding the Azov waters being like a “Russian lake.” It sounded reasonable at a quick glance… but later, looking at a larger map of the area, I saw that Mariupol was on the shoreline!  Was Pat thinking the port was in Eastern Ukraine, therefore it is in Russian-dominated territory? In any case, Maritime Law would have still been the same.  By this time, my piece was out.  I acted thoughtlessly in an area where I have no expertise!  Has this ever happened to you?  Argggg!  I spent the day reading emails and responding to them. Finally I decided to write to the whole list.  I hope the following is understandable.

From a reader came this note that gave me (I think) the essence of the situation. He said: “Sharon, my initial reaction was, likewise, that it isn’t our business (to be policemen). However, Craig Murray, a former British diplomat who is usually very sympathetic to the Russian point of view, says that the Law of the Sea is involved and that in this instance Russia is acting incorrectly:”
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/12/azov-again/
Murray reports (I have underlined below to accentuate the confusing rights and wrongs):

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Crimea-Kerch Bridge Question!

CCI Friends,

Pat Buchanan poses a question below that we hope Donald Trump and his advisors will take seriously.

Crimea was taken back into Russia with a citizen-demand of 93% of her voters… thus making the Sea of Azov a Russian lake. With vast technology supporting the whole process, above and below the bridge, it makes sense that it is no longer a free-for-all waterway! Ukrainians knew this, their NATO advisors knew this …

Buchanan asks the right question, “Why is it any of our business?”  What is your answer?  I will get your answers to a few Congress members who likely will agree with Buchanan.  We need to be buttressing sane members of Congress with our citizen comments.

A wonderful December day to you!

Sharon (signature)

 

 

Sharon Tennison
Center for Citizen Initiatives

The American Conservative
November 30, 2018

Why is Ukraine’s Kerch Crisis Any of Our Business?

By Patrick J. Buchanan

Upon his departure for the G-20 gathering in Buenos Aires, President Donald Trump canceled his planned weekend meeting with Vladimir Putin, citing as his reason the Russian military’s seizure and holding of three Ukrainian ships and 24 sailors.

But was Putin really the provocateur in Sunday’s naval clash outside Kerch Strait, the Black Sea gateway to the Sea of Azov?

Or was the provocateur Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko?

First, a bit of history.

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(Video) Sharing the Holiday Spirit with You! … via CCI’s Upbeat YouTubes!

Our warmest wishes to you as we enter December 2018!!!

In the spirit of this wonderful month of Christmas, Hanukkah, Fiesta of Guadalupe, Kwanzaa and other holidays … we will share with you some of the great CCI experiences we had this year. It’s been a twelve month period full of Americans and Russians traveling to each others’ countries to dispel rumors, which unfortunately journalists haven’t taken the time to investigate for themselves.

We start this holiday month by posting our next video: “Ten Myths About Russia”.  Why? Well, because it’s upbeat, good news!  Also because relatively few Americans have visited Russia and certainly very few have traveled there within the past dozen years. Most of our American colleagues and reporters still have images cemented in their heads about Stalin’s labor camps and exterminations, Khrushchev’s boorish behaviors and poverty in the USSR, and lastly … the Yeltsin years of total societal breakdown: lawlessness, criminality, oligarchs and the final corrupting of Russian life. However, few if any are aware of what Russia has morphed into since year 2000.

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(Video) Vladimir Pozner and CCI Sept 2018 Trip

Dear CCI Friends,

We are delighted to share with you our September 2018 Q&A session with Russia’s internationally-known TV icon and commentator, Vladimir Pozner.

Fortunately, I met Vladimir in 1983 during my initial trip to the USSR. It is my good fortune that Russians respect those who have continued in the pursuit of bilateral understandings for a long, long time. Hence, he has continued to meet with CCI’s U.S. groups over these many years.  We all treasure his open, honest and sometimes blunt answers to our questions … those sent to him prior to travel and others that come up while we are with him.

Americans at large became familiar with Vladimir during the 1980s Space Bridges between the US and the USSR and during the 1990s when he and Phil Donahue had a popular, six-year weekly program on CNBC. The program came to an abrupt end of contract when Vladimir refused to be curtailed by a new CNBC boss who demanded to know in advance who and what topics would be included in future shows.

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