Dear CCI Friends,

Veteran NPR Editor, Uri Berliner, reflects on the direction that NPR has taken regarding the definition of diversity and a missing component, diversity of thought. Former NYT reporter John Varoli, based in Russia in the 1990’s, recently returned to Russia and travelled around multiple regions. There was a time when John’s travelogue would have been a welcome contribution to NPR.  Would it be that today?  Be that as it may, we would like to share it with you alongside Uri’s reflections.

On the topic of day-to-day life.  What is important to you in your day-to-day life these days?

All the best to all of you,

The Directors
Center for Citizen Initiatives

---

How NPR Lost America’s Trust

April 9, 2024

By Uri Berliner 

You know the stereotype of the NPR listener: an EV-driving, Wordle-playing, tote bag–carrying coastal elite. It doesn’t precisely describe me, but it’s not far off. I’m Sarah Lawrence–educated, was raised by a lesbian peace activist mother, I drive a Subaru, and Spotify says my listening habits are most similar to people in Berkeley. 

I fit the NPR mold. I’ll cop to that.

[Continue to Read Full Article]

Why Biden Doesn’t Want Americans to Travel to Russia

April 3, 2024

By John Varoli

Western perceptions of Russia are based on propaganda wrapped in lies, inside mounds of disinformation.  So, what’s the real Russia like?  I went there to find out.  The results were shocking.

[Continue to Read Full Article]

Dear CCI Friends,

The anniversary of the founding of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization occurred a few days ago and some of the most eminent voices available to speak on the subject did just that – speak out, loud and clear.

Longtime Russia/US expert geopolitical observers and analysts Gilbert Doctorow and John Mearsheimer, the incomparable former Ambassador Jack Matlock, plus the estimable Anatol Lievin have all pitched in on the subject of NATO’s historical significance and relevance in today’s world. We hope you appreciate their perspectives.  And, if you care to take the time, we would greatly appreciate hearing your thoughts on NATO – its past and its role in our future.

All best to all of you,

The Directors
Center for Citizen Initiatives

---

NATO: A Force for Peace or Otherwise?

NATO’s Unhappy 75th Birthday

April 2, 2024

By John J. Mearsheimer 

NATO will be 75 years old on 4 April 2024 — two days from now. Katrina vanden Heuvel, the editorial director and publisher of The Nation, organized a panel to discuss the state of NATO today. Pascal Lottaz is the moderator. The three discussants are Anatol Lieven, Ambassador Jack Matlock, and myself.

[Continue to View Video]

NATO’s Prehistory

April 9, 2024

By Gilbert Doctorow

The one non-Ukraine and non-Israeli big news item of last week both in the West and in Russia was the celebration in Brussels of the 75^th anniversary of the signing of the agreements that created NATO. 

[Continue to Read Full Article]

Dear CCI Friends,

Events appear to be pushing us in a very dangerous direction. The terrorist attack in Moscow (with the strongly worded public statements from senior officials in Russia suggesting that Ukraine played a role), the heated rhetoric from Poland and the Baltic states (not to mention the US), and President Macron’s announcement that France is prepared to send troops to Ukraine leave many of us feeling that much of the world is being “led” by lunatics playing chicken. The question is, led where??

Fortunately, there are sane voices with deep experience calling for rational behavior. Let’s hope they are heeded.

Several of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity listed below have traveled to Russia with CCI in the recent past. We value their perspectives and analyses highly and ask that you consider them carefully. As always, your thoughts are much appreciated.

Sincerely,

The Directors
Center for Citizen Initiatives

---

“VIPS Memo: The French Road to Nuclear War”

March 25, 2024

France could be leading the American people down a path toward a nuclear conflict decidedly not in the interests of the American people – or of humanity itself, VIPS warns President Joe Biden.

ALERT MEMORANDUM FOR: The President

FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity

SUBJECT: On the Brink of Nuclear War

Mr. President:

France is reportedly preparing to dispatch a force of some 2,000 troops — roughly a reinforced brigade built around an armored battalion and two mechanized battalions, with supporting logistical, engineering, and artillery troops attached — into Ukraine sometime in the not-so-distant future.

[Continue Reading]

Dear CCI Friends,

“The ICJ has now effectively confirmed that the entire mainstream narrative of what happened in Crimea and Donbas over the previous decade was fraudulent.”

That quote from the article below summarizes the author’s dissection of two recent rulings by the International Court of Justice. The cases were filed by Kiev against Russia long before the ongoing armed conflict, but they provide essential background necessary to form an understanding of how public perception of that conflict – in the West – has been manipulated. Words matter to a rule of law advocate and  clearly the ICJ judges are such advocates finding as they did that Russia is not a ‘terrorist state,’ and the people of the Donbas are not “terrorists,” just because Kiev says so and backs up what it says by quoting Western media . . . quoting Kiev.

One of the cases involves Crimea. For CCI delegates who have visited the peninsula since 2014 and talked with Russian, Ukrainian and Tartar residents there, it may be of particular interest.

Legal decisions can be dense and often a slog to read. Please let us know how these cases, and Kit Klarenberg’s analysis of them, strike you.

The Directors
Center for Citizen Initiatives

---

The Wheels of Justice Grind Slow But They Grind Exceedingly Fine

March 13, 2024

By Kit Klarenberg

As January became February, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered a pair of legal body blows to Ukraine and its Western backers. First, on January 31, it ruled on a case brought by Kiev against Russia in 2017, which accused Moscow of presiding over a campaign of “terrorism” in Donbas, including the July 2014 downing of MH17. It also charged that Russia racially discriminated against Ukrainian and Tatar residents of Crimea following its reunification with Moscow.

The ICJ summarily rejected most charges. Then, on February 2, the Court made a preliminary judgment in a case where Kiev accused Moscow of exploiting false claims of an ongoing genocide of Russians and Russian speakers in Donbas to justify its invasion. Ukraine further charged the Special Military Operation breached the Genocide Convention despite not itself constituting genocide. Almost unanimously, ICJ judges rejected these arguments.

[Continue Reading]

Dear CCI Friends,

Please accept our condolences to all of you who have lost loved ones, friends and colleagues from global conflict and acts of terrorism.

Russia has seen the White Cranes take flight more times in history than one would like to count.  All of the people of Russia, as well as all of the people seeking peace in the world, understand the deep loss felt each time a life is lost.

Kind regards and with respect,

Pamela, Paula and Krishen
CCI Directors