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Contacts with Russian Embassy

Friends, please read Ambassador Jack Matlock’s latest.

JackMatlock.com
March 4, 2017

Contacts with Russian Embassy

Our press seems to be in a feeding frenzy regarding contacts that President Trump’s supporters had with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak and with other Russian diplomats. The assumption seems to be that there was something sinister about these contacts, just because they were with Russian diplomats. As one who spent a 35-year diplomatic career working to open up the Soviet Union and to make communication between our diplomats and ordinary citizens a normal practice, I find the attitude of much of our political establishment and of some of our once respected media outlets quite incomprehensible. What in the world is wrong with consulting a foreign embassy about ways to improve relations? Anyone who aspires to advise an American president should do just that.

Yesterday I received four rather curious questions from Mariana Rambaldi of Univision Digital. I reproduce below the questions and the answers I have given.

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The revolutionary increase in the lethality of US nuclear forces

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
01 March 2017

The revolutionary increase in the lethality of US nuclear forces
 

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has published a revelatory new article that describes how the United States nuclear forces modernization program has been mischaracterized to the general public as a reasonable effort to update the safety of US nuclear warheads. The authors, Hans M. Kristensen, Matthew G. McKinzie, and Theodore A. Postol, write that the reality of the US modernization program is instead an implementation of revolutionary new technologies that have serious implications for strategic stability and international perceptions of US nuclear intentions.

As the article states: “This increase in capability is astonishing—increasing the overall killing power of existing US ballistic missile forces by a factor of roughly three—and it creates exactly what one would expect to see, if a nuclear-armed state were planning to have the capacity to fight and win a nuclear war by disarming enemies with a surprise first strike.”

The development of this alarming new technology will cast a grim shadow over US-Russia relations, already under strain from growing Russian investments in its nuclear arsenal, and increases the chances of nuclear war with either Russia or China. Read the article at thebulletin.org.

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One million Ukrainian children now need aid as number doubles over past year – UNICEF

Dear friends,

Note that this article is from the United Nations News Center. It is surely accurate and not fake news. This situation would have never happened had a few powerful people in our country not made the decision to try to pull Ukraine away from Russia’s trade orbit. This is a grievous situation for which we as a nation should provide relief. Unfortunately, some VIPs never weigh the human costs of their actions.

So sad …. Sharon

United Nations News Centre
17 February 2017

One million Ukrainian children now need aid as number doubles over past year – UNICEF

17 February 2017 – As the volatile conflict in eastern Ukraine enters its fourth year, one million children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance – nearly double the number this time last year, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported today.

“This is an invisible emergency – a crisis most of the world has forgotten,” said UNICEF’s Representative in Ukraine, Giovanna Barberis, in a news release.

“Children in eastern Ukraine have been living under the constant threat of unpredictable fighting and shelling for the past three years. Their schools have been destroyed, they have been forced from their homes and their access to basic commodities like heat and water has been cut off,” she stated.

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Listen Liberals: Russia Is Not Our Enemy

February 15, 2017
The Huffington Post

Listen Liberals: Russia Is Not Our Enemy

Dan Kovalik, ContributorLabor & Human Rights Lawyer

I must say that I am simply baffled by what appears to be the prevailing view in this country, and especially among liberals, that Russia is somehow a threat to the United States.

In truth, one of the only redeeming qualities of a Trump presidency that I saw was the possibility that his administration would repair ties with Russia and work with that country in trying to solve issues of mutual concern, particularly in the Middle East. Yet, that is one goal of the new White House which the establishment, both in Washington and in the media, seem hell-bent on preventing. Indeed, I agree with the assessment of a number of commentators, including Dennis Kucinich who is breaking ranks with fellow liberals over this issue, that the U.S. intelligence community’s successful attempt to remove Mike Flynn as National Security Adviser was motivated by the desire to keep the new Cold War going.

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Could Trump be Right on Russia?

Friends, finally The New York Times prints an OpEd that makes sense of the US-Russia standoff. Anatol Lieven, who I’ve known for over two decades, is a relatively young and seasoned international analyst who is not often printed in U.S. mainstream media. I agree with 95% of this article, but disagree that Russia is just a “regional power” in that Russia’s nuclear weaponry alone provides evidence that they are an international power to be reckoned with. Secondly, Russia has no interest in taking in more land such as the small Baltic nations, or promoting a bi-polar world or challenging America’s place in the world. Russia does openly promote a “multi-polar world,” which makes sense to many Americans. Thirdly, Lieven says the annexation of Crimea should be accepted, but shouldn’t be legalized (Kosovo is still not legal). However, very different situations exist in the histories of these two entities, and it would be appropriate to legalize the return of Crimea to Russia. Anatol’s major points below are right on.  Sharon

PS: I reiterate … I did not vote for Trump, I voted for Jill Stein.

FYI: Bolding by ST

The New York Times
February 14, 2017

Why Trump Is Right on Russia

By ANATOL LIEVEN

DOHA, Qatar — Few of the Trump administration’s priorities have received as much criticism from the American foreign policy establishment as the president’s desire to improve relations with Russia. President Trump’s allegedly pro-Russian policies have been the subject of conspiracy theories and scandal.

This makes little sense. There are many good reasons for the United States to reach conciliation with Moscow on issues from Eastern Europe to the Middle East. The real question will be if Washington can control its own desire for global hegemony enough to make that possible.

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