Dear CCI Friends,

I thought a short message had been sent to you about my taking time off in January. Hence, I didn’t rush to add my thoughts once the catastrophic happenings began in Washington on Wednesday.

I’m deeply saddened that once again we have become a discussion point around the world; not in a constructive manner but in a destructive manner.

As many of you know, I didn’t vote for either candidate in the 2020 election. Being in California and knowing my state would go Democrat, I wrote in my candidate of choice, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, the only candidate running, who was against starting the devastating regime change wars. She still promotes diplomacy and goodwill to deal with all other nations of the world.

I’m deeply sorry that once again hate and vengeance has struck our country. It appeared to me many of yesterday’s trouble makers were the same persons we saw breaking into chic stores, carrying out Gucci bags and other high-end products in cities a few months ago. Who is paying them to show up and create such havoc in our cities?

I hope and pray this latest national catastrophe has awakened a sufficient number of Americans to begin to take a long look at where we have come … hopefully we will begin searching for different modalities to heal our nation of such aberrations.

Change can only happen if we use diplomacy and goodwill toward others different from ourselves. We must use these twin attitudes at all levels of our society … and out in the world.

All of our planet’s Spiritual Traditions have stressed this wisdom of diplomacy and goodwill as sacrosanct throughout many centuries. Going against this wisdom will court disaster in the near future.

Sharon Tennison
Center for Citizen Initiatives

Dear CCI Friends,

We end 2020 with a bleak warning from India’s most seasoned diplomat and journalist, M.K. Bhadrakumar. I have followed his insightful articles on U.S.-Russia issues for over two decades. He covers many countries, but not often about the U.S. and its relations with Russia. When he does, he’s known for accurate assessments.

His alarming piece below comes in the wake of circumstances that could ignite the “Last War on Planet Earth”. Our U.S. leaders, particularly Joe Biden and his new appointees, encourage unthinking Americans toward “us vs. them” mentality instead of building constructive interactions and diplomacy. This is dangerous between any two nations, particularly the two with the most nuclear weapons on our planet.

President Putin threw down the gauntlet this past week! He is through “playing nice”. With NATO missiles intentionally landing near Russia’s borders, followed by the United States’ John McCain battleship being sent into Russian waters, we can expect that Russia won’t tolerate more such actions without responding in kind.

Without treaties and with no diplomacy, Putin is naturally concerned about a first strike on Russia. He warned days ago that any such encounter would bring about the full wrath of nuclear weapons on America, saying, “Why would we be interested in a world without Russia?” We had better pray that no accidents happen. Russian missiles at Mach 20 speeds couldn’t be called back.

Why in God’s name (as my Kentucky father would say) would our country play Russian roulette with this nation when we know how they have obliterated intruders on Russia’s soil in the past? Ask Napoleon and Hitler.

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Dear Friends of CCI,

As some of you know, I met with Congressman Ron Paul a number of times in the past. He was always on the right side of politics, pursuing diplomacy and peace rather than war-making and funding the Military Industrial Complex. Ron’s long time partner, Daniel McAdams and he are still keeping these issues alive during this era when Republicans and Democrats are equally responsible for voting in outrageous sums of money for weapons and wars.

I send you this piece to let you know that we still have serious peace makers amongst us. Ron Paul, Daniel and their large constituency speak for and with many of us who are deeply concerned about Biden’s appointees being hawks on Russia and China. This is megalomania at its most dangerous precipice.

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Dear CCI Followers,

Please read what Andrew Bacevich writes below, which disagrees with our current U.S. policy makers. Why? Because it is finally clear to all that these wars make enormous amounts of money for the United States.

Early on, Bacevich, as a West Point graduate, apparently was convinced of the rightness of U.S. military endeavors. He left the military as a Colonel to weigh in with yet another message: that is, our worldwide wars have caused horrendous levels of death, suffering and destruction in the countries we’ve entered. Further, these are wars that we will never win, but we keep fighting anyway. Does this make sense? It does from the money level. But Bacevich urges leaving and reexamining our entire policy of military engagements and exploring diplomacy.

May his clarity and passion gain traction with both our Congress members, who sign off on these huge annual expenditures, and with the U.S. public, which is finally becoming better informed!

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Dear CCI Followers wherever you are!

In this post-Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I want you to know that we are deeply grateful for each of you who have been helpful to CCI’s work in the past and now into the present.

I opened emails this morning and found a message from Anatoly Chistyakov, one of our Russian PEP Fellows from out in Rybinsk (where weary Volga boatmen pulled small boats across a tiny isthmus with ropes!). Anatoly’s PEP business management training was exceptionally helpful. His businesses have since prospered sufficiently that he was able to bring his whole family to the United States for a Christmas present last year!

Anatoly has been an ardent supporter of warm relations between our nations. He carefully watches as they do the diplomatic dance with each other. In the message below, he writes with a different tone, one of considerable concern. It relates to breaking treaties and other serious challenges.

Dear Sharon! This letter contains the translation of the statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry dated November 22, 2020 in connection with the withdrawal of the United States from the Open Skies Treaty. This is the next step of the US government aimed to increase tensions between our countries in line with the Cold War.
Anatoly.

Although we American citizens pay little attention to treaties, Russian citizens do.  I remember when Ambassador Matlock stood in Washington, DC in 2016 and said, “Nothing will change unless many American citizens themselves get involved” (and push Congress and policymakers to act differently). So far this hasn’t happened.

How can we wake up a sufficient number of American citizens to speak for our common futures and for all of our world in 2021? We at CCI are trying our best, but so far it isn’t enough. Your ideas will be very much needed.

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