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On the Brink of Nuclear War
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.
The Wheels of Justice
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.
Flight of the White Cranes
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