Dear CCI Friends,

The late President Mikhail Gorbachev has received much attention in the Western press since his death on August 31. It is heartening to see the expressions of admiration and respect for the former Soviet leader who presided over what we all hoped at the time was the end of the Cold War and the beginning of a new era of peace. That things did not quite turn out as we all had hoped is hardly President Gorbachev’s fault. He possessed a combination of rare qualities that gave him the clear vision to see the need for change, the courage to put the mechanisms of change into effect in his country, and the stoicism to bear the backlash when the chaos of change produced entirely unexpected results, as so often happens.

One thing our press has consistently ignored in its laudatory commemorations is the fact that President Gorbachev, in assigning responsibility for the sorry state of affairs we find ourselves in today, did not lay the blame solely on the Russian government. The West, claimed Gorbachev, bears its own burden of guilt. The following article from Current Affairs explains the late President’s position and it might lead us to ponder: where might the world be today if we had done our part honorably – as he saw it?

Paula Day, Director
paula@ccisf.org

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Dear CCI Friends,

The following article appeared recently in the Quincy Institute publication, Responsible Statecraft. It is from an article originally published in Foreign Affairs. If you have not seen it yet, I hope you will give it your consideration.

Paula Day, Director
Center for Citizen Initiatives

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Dear CCI Friends,

Yesterday a great man, a truly great ‘thought leader’ left our planet. Mikhail Gorbachev made his mark on our world by being the only Soviet leader to come to the United States where he stole the heart of our American people. He got out of cars in the middle of Manhattan to shake hands with hundreds of ordinary Americans. This happened in city after city. His ever-ready smile and affable personality won the hearts of millions of us.

Fate didn’t allow Gorbachev to lead his nation after the USSR broke up; nonetheless, he still represents an era, a time … when both Americans and Russians thought that a new world order could be created by our two former adversarial countries.

As Secretary General, Gorbachev allowed us (the Center for US-USSR Initiatives, now CCI) to start Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in the USSR, the first meeting being in Kiev in 1985, the next in Moscow where AA was advertised on a large video screen in central Moscow. This was unheard of at the time! He next allowed us to have ‘closed meetings’ (not allowed then) across 11 time Zones. Our AA citizen leaders took the program all the way to Magadan in the Far East. Today AA is all over Russia and eight of the former USSR states.

In recent years numbers of our CCI delegates have been able to meet with and question Mr. Gorbachev at his Foundation in central Moscow. The last CCI delegation was just before COVID. We are deeply grateful for those wonderful meetings with him in the past.

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Dear CCI Friends,

Jeffrey Sachs is a name familiar to all who watched the breakup of the USSR and the devastating period that ensued in the 1990s. The ruble became worthless, hunger and death were omnipresent as the entire country and surrounding regions were plunged into a crisis for their survival. I remember this period very distinctly. It was tragic. Sachs learned that Harvard’s approach failed the Russian people. Check “The Power of Impossible Ideas” pages 81 – 85. Fortunately Sachs was a quick learner and is one of the most astute voices in the field regarding what needs to be done today with Russia and China. He is one of the few voices willing to discuss the entire history leading to the current crisis, a crisis that could have been avoided. I offer his essay for your consideration.

Sharon Tennison
Center for Citizen Initiatives

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Dear CCI Readers,

For Citizen Diplomats, one man stands out in my mind as the ultimate citizen who started young at age 19 by leaving his native Canada and traveling through the United States and throughout Mexico and Central America. He says that it opened his eyes to the impact of multinational corporations and the roles played by the U.S. and Canada. Rick Sterling has continued to travel throughout the world to support people striving for peace and security. Today, at age 73 years young, he is trying to wake up America about its dangerous attempt to take Russia down to get their oil, gas and numerous other subsoil treasures. This of course is what the Ukraine war is all about. Read his commonsensical review of crisis management of former U.S. leaders from JFK to Biden.

Sharon Tennison
Center for Citizen Initiatives

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