Dear CCI Friends,

February 4-11, marked the 80th anniversary of the Yalta Conference where Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met to thrash out the peace terms that would end the bloodiest conflict in history, World War II.  Virtually nothing marking this anniversary appeared in the Western press which is too bad; that event might serve as a reminder of what people (‘leaders’) who dislike and distrust one another (even if they are ‘allies’) can accomplish when they have the courage to sit down together in the interest of peace.

History, as Mark Twain may or may not have said, rarely repeats itself but it does rhyme.  Stephen Bryen’s article, below, explores some of those vague rhymes discernable in the tortuous road – not to peace, yet, but – to the terms that allow the combatants and enablers to talk about  how to talk about peace in Ukraine.  

“The Trump administration probably cannot negotiate a comprehensive deal for Ukraine immediately and will need to come up with an initial solution to try and halt the fighting. Doing so is a rocky road ahead, partly because the Russians have zero trust in anything coming from the west, partly because the Ukrainians are unwilling partners, and partly because Europe wants to continue the war.” (Emphasis mine.)

https://weapons.substack.com/p/the-rocky-road-to-a-ukraine-deal

Can we imagine a Yalta II?  Please give us your thoughts.

Sincerely in Peace,
Paula Day
Center for Citizen Initiatives

Dear CCI Friends,

January 27, 2025 was the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by the Red Army of the USSR.  Commemorative events honoring the million plus victims of the gas chambers – and the other unimaginable atrocities committed there by Germany’s Nazi regime – have been held regularly over the years but this year’s event was ‘different’, for the third time in a row.  

While kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers and dignitaries from 54 countries assembled at Auschwitz to mark the event, one country was conspicuously absent, the country whose soldiers ended the horror there 80 years ago.  Why?

Ian Proud, twenty-four year veteran of Great Britain’s Diplomatic Service including a stint as senior officer at the British Embassy in Moscow, analyses this question closely.  Please see his article, below, and let us know your thoughts on the subject.

https://thepeacemonger.substack.com/p/the-memorial-in-auschwitz-reminds

Best regards to you all,
Paula Day
Center for Citizen Initiatives

Dear CCI Friends,

As the tragedy in Ukraine grinds on, the question of the day seems to be, how does everyone manage to save face at the end?  Of course ‘everyone’ who considers that a serious question means only the truly uninvolved – the ruling class, the statesmen, generals, bureaucrats, intelligence experts, plus the professional and amateur analysts, bloggers, podcasters, video stars, commentators and armchair pontificators in general.  Making it a question worth dying for for those facing lethal weaponry on the front lines seems rather, well, unseemly, doesn’t it?

But they’re not speaking up too much about ‘saving face’ because they can’t; they’re too busy trying to stay alive.  Fortunately there’s one commentator/analyst willing to speak for them – in hard, cold terms.

Professor Michael Vlahos at Johns Hopkins has let a lot of the hot air out of the debate on how to end the war – for Americans at least – and his solution is simplicity itself; just tell the American people the truth.  What a concept.

https://landmarksmag.substack.com/p/accepting-the-truth-about-ukrainian

Please consider Professor Vlahos’ words carefully and let us know what you think.

Sincerely,
Paula Day
Center for Citizen Initiatives

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

In the few weeks that have passed since CCI last appeared in your inbox our world has radically changed, and we cannot anticipate how these changes will affect us.

Following a chaotic and deadly election season we have a new President due to be inaugurated on January 20, 2025. Perhaps a third of the US electorate considers his incoming administration to be a catastrophe beyond endurance, a continuing manifestation of ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome.’ Another third contemplates his presidency with the ecstatic belief that he will make good on his promises to clean up the labyrinth of a disorganized, dysfunctional and out-of-touch federal bureaucracy, perhaps an exercise in wishful thinking. The final third is waiting nervously – not just to see what President Trump will actually do once in office, but as importantly, to see what havoc may be wreaked upon us between now and 20 January; a more or less mildly depressed centrist position between the two extremes.

For our purposes at CCI, the Biden administration’s recent escalation of the war in Ukraine is enormously disturbing. With the greenlight given to the Zelensky government to use US-supplied long-range missiles against Russian territory, President Putin has announced that as far as Russia is concerned, the West, especially the United States, has declared war on Russia. Our friends in Russia tell us this new reality spread across the country immediately following Mr. Putin’s speeches of November 21 and 22. A good friend in Sergiev Posad tells us she and her colleagues at work discuss the strain of anticipating a missile strike on Moscow, a mere 70 kilometers away, constantly. She also tells us that church attendance is way up with parents now insisting their children attend – something quite unusual in recent years.

The fact that officials in our government insist we are not at war with Russia is irrelevant to the Russians when American made and American guided weapons fall on Russian cities. One must ask: how many Americans appreciate this situation – that ‘reality’ for Russian citizens is not whatever comes out of the mouths of American officials? ‘Reality’ for Russians is what is physically ‘real’, a matter of what happens on their soil.

Many of the most respected members of the independent media world we rely on have gone on record as stating the belief that we are in a far more dangerous position regarding the possibility of a nuclear war between Russia and the United States than has ever existed before in our history – Cuban missile crisis notwithstanding. Those of you who remember that episode will recall that it lasted for about three days and was resolved quickly, to everyone’s relief. Today, the teetering-on-the-brink posture is ongoing, day after day after day with no relief in sight and it’s not just independent voices raising the alarm now – mainstream media and western intelligence agencies are also spooked. Anyone in the US who is paying attention must empathize with our friend outside of Moscow. We would like our Russian friends to know that there are many people on this side of the ocean who are also praying for peace.

Still, we find ourselves in the holiday season and we must have the courage to acknowledge the reasons we celebrate. We are thankful for the fact that the worst has not happened and that we are here, alive, well and prepared to take whatever small steps we can to ensure that it never does. And above all we must have the hope for the future that this month’s celebrations demand.

At CCI we remain committed to our mission to promote peace and friendship between the citizens of the two countries whose official position is currently hostile. It has been a uniquely successful endeavor for over forty years and our hope, and our earnest intent, is that this undertaking will continue. My heartfelt thanks go out to the entire CCI community of citizen diplomats – in Russia and in the USA – for being here to share the hope and the good work with us.

Yours sincerely and with prayers for peace,

Paula Day
The Center for Citizen Initiatives

Dear CCI Friends,

It appears that an historic event has taken place from October 22-24 in Kazan, Russia.  Although BRICS as a consortium has been in existence for 16 years, it has now reached a point at which it presents a serious alternative to the current Global Commerce structure. 

We share the following communications for your information,

*Dr. Gilbert Doctorow, American analyst of global affairs, presents his analysis of changing times,

[Continue to Armageddon Newsletter, October 25th, 2024]
*Andrew Napolitano interviews Jeffrey Sachs on how BRICS members and partners view the change in economic relations between the West and the rest of the world,

[Continue to Judging Freedom, Livestreamed October 25, 2024]
*Ben Norton shares his views of the perspective from the Global South in Geopolitical Economy Report,

[Continue to Geopolitical Economy Report, October 26th, 2024]
We look forward to your thoughts on this subject.

Sincerely,

The Directors
Center for Citizen Initiatives