Dear CCI Folks,

I am the newest director of CCI so please allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Charles Heberle.  I am a retired COL of the US Army who was heavily involved in the goings on in the 1989 to 1992 time frame which resulted in the Soviet Union voluntarily closing shop.  This was and probably will be an unprecedented event in world history for which Russia, unbelievably, gets no credit right now.  I know about the negotiations first hand as I became a friend of GEN John Shalikashvili after he retired.  He related the whole story to me as he was the key negotiator.  Later on I developed a democracy training program for the USA which empowers the people so both parties hate it and shot it down.  The Russians however found it and hired me to teach it there which I did for 5 years living in the provincial capital of Karelia, Petrozavodsk.  I am now a past president and current member of the Russia-USA Intercountry Committee of Rotary International.  I also accompanied Sharon, who I have known since 2006, on the 2015 and 2016 CCI trips.  I am unapologetically pro-Russia in all these latest goings on.  Particularly with regard to welcoming them back to our world as a regular member which was the original intent.  This has not happened regrettably.

A lot of this has to do with our, in my view, needless continuation of the Cold War for what appear to be various and often nefarious reasons.  As a result we have continued our support of organizations in Ukraine, which while useful to us in the Cold War are now, in my view, detrimental to what is obviously in our national interest – having normal diplomatic relations with Russia.  From a military standpoint driving the biggest nuclear power into the arms of the 3rd biggest nuclear power is idiotic at best.  In this light I give you two things that support my contention.  One an article by Harrison Berger and another a video interview of MIke Benz by Glen Diesen. 

I give you these with the reservation that I don’t necessarily agree with all the views of Harrison Berger at least in tone.  Plus there was a lot in the Mike Benz interview that came as a surprise to me.   

Both of these raise two questions in my mind:

1.  Why are “non-governmental organizations” being funded by our government?
2.  Why are we continuing a Cold War after we successfully negotiated a settlement? 

Hopefully we in CCI can rectify some of this by our people to people diplomacy efforts which we hope will commence soonest.

Charles Heberle, COL, USA (Ret)

Dear CCI Friends and Colleagues,

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gave a brief presentation  in the oval office recently where he spoke of renaming the Department of Defence. Henceforth, it is to be the Department of War.  Mr. Hegseth enthusiastically endorsed the name change and, in truth, offensive as it may seem, his honesty is welcome.  We may now officially drop any illusions we might have had that our military consists of citizen soldiers with a duty to defend the USA.  They are now officially acknowledged as global ‘war fighters.’  

Further, Hegseth defines the purpose of his department as “maximum lethality, minimum tepid legality.”  Presumably he wants us to join him and celebrate backsliding into barbarity.  Let us consider the consequences. 

Most of us who favor peace prefer the rule of law to the ruthlessness of war when it comes to dispute resolution. Ellen Tracy, who traveled to Russia with CCI in 2016, writes of the critical importance of respect for the law in the article below.  Her observations and analysis are insightful, beautifully articulate and steeped in history. 

“The Importance of International Law to Human Survival”

https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/06/03/war-crimes-from-nuremberg-to-ukraine/

I have just recently made Ellen’s acquaintance, thanks to the internet, and I am very happy to reprint her piece.  I  hope you will give it your thoughtful attention.  

Sincerely,
Paula Day
Center for Citizen Initiatives

Dear CCI friends and colleagues, 

We would like to bring to your attention an interview of Ambassador Jack Matlock which aired a few days ago. It is entitled “How Western leaders became ideological war criminals” 

(246) Amb. Jack Matlock: Western Leaders Became Ideological “War Criminals” – YouTube

Ambassador Matlock was US Ambassador to the Soviet Union when the Cold War ended in 1989, and also when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. His historical views are worth reading in the context of the special military operation by Russia in 2022. Ambassador Matlock takes exception to the comment that this is a war ‘that Putin started’. Mr Matlock believes that this is a war that the West started, and he even calls the Western leaders ‘ideological war criminals’. 

Whether we agree with Ambassador Matlock or not, we would urge you to take a few minutes of your time to see what Ambassador Matlock has to say. It may not change your mind, but is still worth listening to. The Western media does not seem to make space or time for experienced diplomats like Jack Matlock or Chas Freeman. This is our misfortune as it leads to public perceptions that are not fully informed about the background to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.  

We would welcome your views on this interview if you have the chance to see it. 

Sincerely,
Krishen Mehta, Director
Center for Citizen Initiatives

Dear CCI Friends,

In honor of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II we are happy to circulate this article by Vijay Prashad, “Against Resurgent Militarism.”  When considering the horrors of the wars of the 20th century, shouldn’t we all refuse to answer the call of the constant drumbeat for more and more war?

https://consortiumnews.com/2025/08/27/vijay-prashad-against-resurgent-militarism/

We’re also happy to bring you a new voice (new to us!) responding to the current war in Ukraine.  Mark Lesseraux is a “singer/songwriter/socio-political columnist” from Brooklyn.  Please let us know your thoughts on his thoughts.

https://www.pressenza.com/2025/08/the-proxy-war-in-ukraine-for-western-dummies/

Best regards to all,
Center for Citizen Initiatives

Dear CCI Friends,

Two subjects, that may at first seem unrelated, force us to contemplate, again, the nature of reality: 

Is Vladimir Putin guilty of kidnapping Ukrainian children as he stands convicted by the International Criminal Court? Or is he a humanitarian who rescued Ukrainian children from an active war zone and took them to safety, as the Russians claim?

Can we determine the truth, the reality, of this situation or is our ability to think critically corrupted by our inclination to take sides and our willingness to accept the ‘truth’ of anything that supports our side?

Patrick Lawrence has launched a two-part series to explore the war on truth, in this case the truth of the matter concerning the Ukrainian children.

“…propaganda by way of omission, an insidious and highly effective technique, and propaganda by way of disinformation—the less subtle strategy.” 

https://thefloutist.substack.com/p/those-russian-kidnappers?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=112164&post_id=171664840&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=2ofpf2&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

On the homefront, independent investigative journalist John Solomon describes his time in the trenches in the context of Russiagate.  His conclusions, if correct, are deeply disturbing for all Americans.  

“After 9 Years of Investigation, Here’s What I Uncovered”

Please give us your thoughts.

(Note to our Russian friends:  our apologies if the youtube video is not available to you.) 

With thanks,
The Directors
Center for Citizen Initiatives