Dear CCI Friends,
You may have been as distracted by Donald Trump’s new National Security Strategy for the past week as we at CCI have been. Does it mean a major shift in US foreign policy away from the current ‘the-US-must-control-the-world’ model to one of ‘the-US-will-henceforth-mind-its-own-business’ model? Or is it empty rhetoric that will bounce off an impregnable wall of resistance to change?
Since CCI’s mission is to foster improved US/Russia relations, we are sharing three articles with you that focus on what a policy re-set such as that set out by President Trump would mean in that sphere.
Harvard’s Russia Matters reviewed only one segment of the NSS but it is perhaps the most significant for our purposes in that it lays out an entirely new, sane approach to America’s future engagement with the Kremlin:
Russia in Review, Nov. 25–Dec. 5, 2025 | Russia Matters
Alastair Crooke points out that both Europe and American Democrats find the new policy a catastrophe, meaning they may do their utmost to undermine it:
Europe in Panic Over US Strategy for Stability With Russia – Consortium News
Stephen Bryen sees the strategic importance of a “balanced relationship” between the two superpowers – a CCI goal for more than 40 years:
Sinking NATO: The Implications of All Out Support for Zelensky’s Hard Line
Enjoy the reading, friends, and as always, let us know what you think.
Sincerely,
The Directors
Center for Citizen Initiatives