By Vladislav Krasnov Ph.D Dear friends of the Russia & America Good Will Association and antiwar colleagues!
Is the mystery of the Malaysian airliner tragedy finally solved? So says the Russian engineer Ivan Andrievsky who claims he received email from an anonymous American who had access to satellite pictures showing the shooting of the plane by a Ukrainian air force jet. You may choose from two reports, it's your call:
http://orientalreview.org/2014/11/14/scandal-last-seconds-of-mh17-flight-were-snapshot-by-a-us-or-uk-spy-satellite/
http://english.pravda.ru/news/world/15-11-2014/129041-satellite_image_boeing-0/#.VGcHPGeWx74
THE elections in Ukraine on October 26, in the Donetsk and Lugansk republics on November 2 and the mid-term election in the USA on November 4 went as scheduled and ended as expected. The only unexpected thing was the voter participation: about 75% in the war-torn fledgling republics, about 5O% in the post-coup Ukraine and 36.6% in the USA. The impression is that the more US tries to export democracy to Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Russia, the less is left for local consumption. Even the unflappable Washington Post is exasperated at the lowest turnout since WWII
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/11/10/voter-turnout-in-2014-was-the-lowest-since-wwii/
An unprejudiced observer can see that the further West you go, the lower is the share of those who vote. It does not bode well for Western democracies.
Putin is tops everywhere— the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Beijing, G-20 Summit in Brisbane, and at the BRICS leaders’ conference inside G-20 Summit.
Forbes magazine reports: For the second year running, our votes went with the Russian president as the world’s most powerful person, followed by U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2014/11/05/putin-vs-obama-the-worlds-most-powerful-people-2014/
Don’t we need to hear what the world’s most powerful person has to say? Putin's speech at the Valdai Club - full transcript
The speech shows a great deal of exasperation with the US drive for dominance, but Putin carefully eschews any belligerence or ill will. Read Patrick Smith’s detailed analysis
Friday, Nov 7, 2014
The New York Times doesn’t want you to understand this Vladimir Putin speech. The Times botches it badly
http://www.salon.com/2014/11/07/the_new_york_times_doesnt_want_you_to_understand_this_vladimir_putin_speech/
Patrick L. Smith followed up on the latest events
Friday, Nov 14, 2014
What really happened in Beijing: Putin, Obama, Xi — and the back story the media won’t tell you. Ukraine, Iran's nukes, the price of oil: if only the media connected the dots
http://www.salon.com/2014/11/13/what_really_happened_in_beijing_putin_obama_xi_and_the_back_story_the_media_wont_tell_you/
Patrick connects the dots the Big Media does not want you to connect
<<The planet’s other major powers, for all their imperfections and, indeed, disgraces, understand that their time has come, parity between West and non-West is upon us. This is the core reality, not to be lost sight of. China’s and Russia’s domestic problems are rather like America’s; they are to be resolved by Chinese, Russians and Americans, a point we understand easily when it comes to the interference of others but not the other way around, when the question is our interference elsewhere.>>
Patrick Smith’s analysis echoes that of Seumas Milne on the other side of the Atlantic
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/29/counterweight-us-power-global-necessity-conflicts-spread
<<A real counterweight to US power is a global necessity. Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine will spread without effective restraint on western unilateralism…With the collapse of the Soviet Union, that restraint disappeared. It was only the failure of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – and Russia’s subsequent challenge to western expansion and intervention in Georgia, Syria and Ukraine – that provided some check to unbridled US power.>>
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/29/counterweight-us-power-global-necessity-conflicts-spread
Twenty-five years ago the Berlin Wall came tumbling down and with it - we are told - the last moments of the Cold War. Today there is talk of a new Cold War again pitting Russia against the West. One can make the argument the Cold War never ended for Washington. Watch Peter Lavelle CrossTalking with Ray McGovern, Ed Lozansky and Andranik Migranyan. http://rt.com/shows/crosstalk/204771-cold-war-berlin-wall/
RAGA’s task of providing varied, objective and dependable info about US-Russia relations became a LOT easier with the advent of Russia-Insider. Below is Ed Lozansky’s article—but please peruse through the whole site:
The West's Fatal Russia Mistakes: 1989-2014
When the Berlin wall came down the West had an historic chance to find a strong friendly ally in Russia.
Western mistakes over the following years has lead to the exact opposite.
The US to must reverse its policy of hegemony, and pursue multilateralism. Anything else will lead to continued conflict.
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics_ukraine_opinion/2014/11/10/10-01-25am/wests_fatal_russia_mistakes_1989-2014?page=0%2C0
Lozansky blames the USA for imposing Neo-Liberal reforms on Russia: <The consequences of that tragic decision signified a catastrophe for Russia — devastating economic decline worse than in World War II; collapse of education, science, health services, of the military; two Chechen wars; thousands of Western "advisers" helping implement criminal privatization of state assets; the IMF’s crude policies…Russian oligarchs, some of them cheered by the West were grabbing not only economic and financial power, but also openly buying up politicians, wholesale and retail.>>
Lozansky does a good job of informing not only Americans, but Russians as well. About US role in Ukraine he writes (for those who read Russian):
<<На самом деле ни для кого не секрет, что главной целью этого проекта было серьезное геополитическое ослабление России. Что произошло на самом деле, хорошо известно: гражданская война, более 4 тыс. убитых и десятки тысяч раненых, сотни тысяч беженцев, колоссальное разрушение домов и инфраструктуры.…В мировом информационном пространстве активно насаждается версия о том, что вина за эту трагедию полностью лежит на России, а точнее, на ее президенте Владимире Путине.>>
http://www.ng.ru/world/2014-11-11/3_kartblansh.html
RAGA associate Professor Nicolai Petro sends his remarkable collection:
"Is Ukraine Slipping Into Illiberal Democracy?" The Nation, October 30, 2014.
"Main legitimacy concern: Ukrainian parties opposed to 'Euromaidan' faced restrictions," RT Op-edge, October 28, 2014.
"Ukraine's Elections Sealed Minsk Agreement’s Fate, Make Country Easier to Govern," RIA Novosti, October 28, 2014.
"How Russia Views the post-Cold War Order, Russia Direct, October 27, 2014.
"Ukraine Holds Parliamentary Elections, Al Jazeera America, October 27, 2014.
Sharon Tennison offers an interview with Ray McGovern,
History: Berlin Wall to Ukraine and Crimea
http://www.russiaotherpointsofview.com/2014/11/history-berlin-wall-to-ukraine-and-crimea.html#more
RAGA associate Gilbert Doctorow emails:
<<My trip to the States was quick and relatively painless. The main event which drew me there…was the Massachusetts Peace Action on the MIT campus. The results of that day are set out in the following:
http://usforeignpolicy.blogs.lalibre.be/archive/2014/11/14/american-peace-movement-and-the-new-cold-war-1136655.html
In a challenge to the authors of the booklet Costs of a New Cold War: The US-Russia Confrontation over Ukraine published by the Center for the National Interest, I argue on the pages of RAGA that the current US hostility toward Russia is an escalation of the New Cold War that the USA has started when post-Communist Russia refused to obey under US Neo-Liberal hegemony. This New Cold War conflates the Crusade against Muslim “terrorists” with a Crusade against secular, but a re-born Christian Russia.
http://www.raga.org/news/the-folly-of-the-new-cold-war-by-vladislav-krasnov
The problem the US has with Russia is NOT that it is reverting to the old Soviet ways. No, the problem is that the New Russia has been asserting itself as a new nation state which has thrown off the yoke of Communism and therefore feels stronger, prouder and more unified in body and spirit than ever under the USSR. To be sure, the New Russia has its share of the problems, those inherited from the USSR (such as the weakness of civil society, suspicion toward democratic procedures, and excessive reliance on centralization and government controls) and those which have resulted from US-sponsored neo-liberal reforms (capital flight, oligarchic monopolies, corruption, and consumerism). However, Putin's Russia has been making big strides in balancing various group interests to create a positive vector of democratic development.
Recently I was interviewed by Radio Radonezh, independent Christian network broadcasting in Russian language across the globe. We talked about my book Novaya Rossia, which is actually Russian translation of my book Russia Beyond Communism: A Chronicle of National Rebirth published in the USA in 1991. The thrust of my argument is that Russia’s national rebirth as a great civilization is inevitable. When I wrote the book, Soviet soldiers were forbidden even to wear a crucifix. Now Putin and his associates want to be seen at Russian church services. You may want to listen to this November 11, 2014 (at 22:20) interview on http://tv.radonezh.ru/www/_radio/efir/20141111%2022-00.mp3#21:18
If by its meddling in Ukraine, the US tried to divide the Russians in order to affect regime change in Russia, it failed miserably. After Crimea re-joined Russia via popular referendum, there is a remarkable patriotic upswing in all regions of Russia. There is a movement underway for consolidation of all patriotic forces, regardless of their political leanings, as long as they are ready to protect Russia’s sovereignty. For those who can read Russian, I recommend a religiously inspired http://www.pereprava.org/projects/
Thanks to those who responded to Antidote 6 RAGA Newsletter containing IAC appeal against US meddling in Ukraine. It may have been a link error in Ramsey Clark's petition to Pres. Obama. The direct link to the petition is
http://www.iacenter.org/ukrainepetition/.
I'm happy to report that the Veterans for Peace (VFP), an organization which I joined in 1998, have announced that a number of prominent Americans, such as Oliver Stone, Ed Asner, Andrew Bacevich, Jackson Browne and Ralph Nader joined its International Advisory Board.
Well, if you still doubt the uniqueness of Russia’s Russian Christian civilization, William Brumfield’s photographs. William is Professor of Russian at Tulane University. From his email:
<<My current article for Russia beyond the Headlines is devoted to
The Cathedral Square ensemble of Kargopol, one of the most beautiful of northern Russia's ancient towns http://rbth.com/travel/2014/11/07/the_shrines_of_kargopol_preserving_the_art_of_the_russian_north_41243.html
For best results with the slide show (full screen), click the 4-arrow icon at lower right of photo window.
This is the 113th of my articles and photo essays on Russia's architectural and cultural heritage for the foreign-language service of the Russian national newspaper Rossiiskaia Gazeta. A unified link to the series can be found at: http://rbth.ru/discovering_russia
Through this link a total of 3,358 photographs from my documentary work in Russia are now accessible.>>
While Russia currently undergoes spiritual and religious renaissance, a miraculous recovery after 73 years of atheist Soviet suppression, this cannot be said of some Western counties, certainly, not of Italy, the well-spring of European renaissance and once the strong-hold of Catholicism
http://rt.com/news/200999-italy-church-repurposed-martino/
<<With the Italian economy crippled by recession, more and more churches are being deconsecrated and sold to private buyers, who repurpose these former houses of God into banks, theaters, night clubs and even car repair shops…Several thousand churches have recently found new owners, indicating the hard times experienced by the Catholic Church and Italy’s general switch towards secularity. >>
Malice to None. Good Will to All.
Peace and Justice to the World.
миру мир и благоволение в сердцах
From RAGA site:
"We are an association of Americans who believe it is in the U.S. national interests to foster friendship with Russia on the basis of mutual Good Will and non-interference in each other's affairs. RAGA is a gathering of people who share common interests in Russia's history, culture, religion, economy, politics and the way of life. We feel that Russian people have made outstanding contributions to humankind and are capable of greater achievements. We envision Russia as a strong, independent, proud and free nation and as a partner in achieving peace in the world."
Sincerely,
W George Krasnow (=Vladislav Krasnov)
President, RAGA
All statements in this report are an opinion of the author. Act at your own risk. Russia & America Goodwill Association (RAGA) is not responsible for the content of the article. Any views or opinions presented in this report are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RAGA. Any liability in respect to this communication remain with the author.
RAGA News
www.RAGA.org
Is the mystery of the Malaysian airliner tragedy finally solved? So says the Russian engineer Ivan Andrievsky who claims he received email from an anonymous American who had access to satellite pictures showing the shooting of the plane by a Ukrainian air force jet. You may choose from two reports, it's your call:
http://orientalreview.org/2014/11/14/scandal-last-seconds-of-mh17-flight-were-snapshot-by-a-us-or-uk-spy-satellite/
http://english.pravda.ru/news/world/15-11-2014/129041-satellite_image_boeing-0/#.VGcHPGeWx74
THE elections in Ukraine on October 26, in the Donetsk and Lugansk republics on November 2 and the mid-term election in the USA on November 4 went as scheduled and ended as expected. The only unexpected thing was the voter participation: about 75% in the war-torn fledgling republics, about 5O% in the post-coup Ukraine and 36.6% in the USA. The impression is that the more US tries to export democracy to Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Russia, the less is left for local consumption. Even the unflappable Washington Post is exasperated at the lowest turnout since WWII
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/11/10/voter-turnout-in-2014-was-the-lowest-since-wwii/
An unprejudiced observer can see that the further West you go, the lower is the share of those who vote. It does not bode well for Western democracies.
Putin is tops everywhere— the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Beijing, G-20 Summit in Brisbane, and at the BRICS leaders’ conference inside G-20 Summit.
Forbes magazine reports: For the second year running, our votes went with the Russian president as the world’s most powerful person, followed by U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2014/11/05/putin-vs-obama-the-worlds-most-powerful-people-2014/
Don’t we need to hear what the world’s most powerful person has to say? Putin's speech at the Valdai Club - full transcript
The speech shows a great deal of exasperation with the US drive for dominance, but Putin carefully eschews any belligerence or ill will. Read Patrick Smith’s detailed analysis
Friday, Nov 7, 2014
The New York Times doesn’t want you to understand this Vladimir Putin speech. The Times botches it badly
http://www.salon.com/2014/11/07/the_new_york_times_doesnt_want_you_to_understand_this_vladimir_putin_speech/
Patrick L. Smith followed up on the latest events
Friday, Nov 14, 2014
What really happened in Beijing: Putin, Obama, Xi — and the back story the media won’t tell you. Ukraine, Iran's nukes, the price of oil: if only the media connected the dots
http://www.salon.com/2014/11/13/what_really_happened_in_beijing_putin_obama_xi_and_the_back_story_the_media_wont_tell_you/
Patrick connects the dots the Big Media does not want you to connect
<<The planet’s other major powers, for all their imperfections and, indeed, disgraces, understand that their time has come, parity between West and non-West is upon us. This is the core reality, not to be lost sight of. China’s and Russia’s domestic problems are rather like America’s; they are to be resolved by Chinese, Russians and Americans, a point we understand easily when it comes to the interference of others but not the other way around, when the question is our interference elsewhere.>>
Patrick Smith’s analysis echoes that of Seumas Milne on the other side of the Atlantic
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/29/counterweight-us-power-global-necessity-conflicts-spread
<<A real counterweight to US power is a global necessity. Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine will spread without effective restraint on western unilateralism…With the collapse of the Soviet Union, that restraint disappeared. It was only the failure of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – and Russia’s subsequent challenge to western expansion and intervention in Georgia, Syria and Ukraine – that provided some check to unbridled US power.>>
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/29/counterweight-us-power-global-necessity-conflicts-spread
Twenty-five years ago the Berlin Wall came tumbling down and with it - we are told - the last moments of the Cold War. Today there is talk of a new Cold War again pitting Russia against the West. One can make the argument the Cold War never ended for Washington. Watch Peter Lavelle CrossTalking with Ray McGovern, Ed Lozansky and Andranik Migranyan. http://rt.com/shows/crosstalk/204771-cold-war-berlin-wall/
RAGA’s task of providing varied, objective and dependable info about US-Russia relations became a LOT easier with the advent of Russia-Insider. Below is Ed Lozansky’s article—but please peruse through the whole site:
The West's Fatal Russia Mistakes: 1989-2014
When the Berlin wall came down the West had an historic chance to find a strong friendly ally in Russia.
Western mistakes over the following years has lead to the exact opposite.
The US to must reverse its policy of hegemony, and pursue multilateralism. Anything else will lead to continued conflict.
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics_ukraine_opinion/2014/11/10/10-01-25am/wests_fatal_russia_mistakes_1989-2014?page=0%2C0
Lozansky blames the USA for imposing Neo-Liberal reforms on Russia: <The consequences of that tragic decision signified a catastrophe for Russia — devastating economic decline worse than in World War II; collapse of education, science, health services, of the military; two Chechen wars; thousands of Western "advisers" helping implement criminal privatization of state assets; the IMF’s crude policies…Russian oligarchs, some of them cheered by the West were grabbing not only economic and financial power, but also openly buying up politicians, wholesale and retail.>>
Lozansky does a good job of informing not only Americans, but Russians as well. About US role in Ukraine he writes (for those who read Russian):
<<На самом деле ни для кого не секрет, что главной целью этого проекта было серьезное геополитическое ослабление России. Что произошло на самом деле, хорошо известно: гражданская война, более 4 тыс. убитых и десятки тысяч раненых, сотни тысяч беженцев, колоссальное разрушение домов и инфраструктуры.…В мировом информационном пространстве активно насаждается версия о том, что вина за эту трагедию полностью лежит на России, а точнее, на ее президенте Владимире Путине.>>
http://www.ng.ru/world/2014-11-11/3_kartblansh.html
RAGA associate Professor Nicolai Petro sends his remarkable collection:
"Is Ukraine Slipping Into Illiberal Democracy?" The Nation, October 30, 2014.
"Main legitimacy concern: Ukrainian parties opposed to 'Euromaidan' faced restrictions," RT Op-edge, October 28, 2014.
"Ukraine's Elections Sealed Minsk Agreement’s Fate, Make Country Easier to Govern," RIA Novosti, October 28, 2014.
"How Russia Views the post-Cold War Order, Russia Direct, October 27, 2014.
"Ukraine Holds Parliamentary Elections, Al Jazeera America, October 27, 2014.
Sharon Tennison offers an interview with Ray McGovern,
History: Berlin Wall to Ukraine and Crimea
http://www.russiaotherpointsofview.com/2014/11/history-berlin-wall-to-ukraine-and-crimea.html#more
RAGA associate Gilbert Doctorow emails:
<<My trip to the States was quick and relatively painless. The main event which drew me there…was the Massachusetts Peace Action on the MIT campus. The results of that day are set out in the following:
http://usforeignpolicy.blogs.lalibre.be/archive/2014/11/14/american-peace-movement-and-the-new-cold-war-1136655.html
In a challenge to the authors of the booklet Costs of a New Cold War: The US-Russia Confrontation over Ukraine published by the Center for the National Interest, I argue on the pages of RAGA that the current US hostility toward Russia is an escalation of the New Cold War that the USA has started when post-Communist Russia refused to obey under US Neo-Liberal hegemony. This New Cold War conflates the Crusade against Muslim “terrorists” with a Crusade against secular, but a re-born Christian Russia.
http://www.raga.org/news/the-folly-of-the-new-cold-war-by-vladislav-krasnov
The problem the US has with Russia is NOT that it is reverting to the old Soviet ways. No, the problem is that the New Russia has been asserting itself as a new nation state which has thrown off the yoke of Communism and therefore feels stronger, prouder and more unified in body and spirit than ever under the USSR. To be sure, the New Russia has its share of the problems, those inherited from the USSR (such as the weakness of civil society, suspicion toward democratic procedures, and excessive reliance on centralization and government controls) and those which have resulted from US-sponsored neo-liberal reforms (capital flight, oligarchic monopolies, corruption, and consumerism). However, Putin's Russia has been making big strides in balancing various group interests to create a positive vector of democratic development.
Recently I was interviewed by Radio Radonezh, independent Christian network broadcasting in Russian language across the globe. We talked about my book Novaya Rossia, which is actually Russian translation of my book Russia Beyond Communism: A Chronicle of National Rebirth published in the USA in 1991. The thrust of my argument is that Russia’s national rebirth as a great civilization is inevitable. When I wrote the book, Soviet soldiers were forbidden even to wear a crucifix. Now Putin and his associates want to be seen at Russian church services. You may want to listen to this November 11, 2014 (at 22:20) interview on http://tv.radonezh.ru/www/_radio/efir/20141111%2022-00.mp3#21:18
If by its meddling in Ukraine, the US tried to divide the Russians in order to affect regime change in Russia, it failed miserably. After Crimea re-joined Russia via popular referendum, there is a remarkable patriotic upswing in all regions of Russia. There is a movement underway for consolidation of all patriotic forces, regardless of their political leanings, as long as they are ready to protect Russia’s sovereignty. For those who can read Russian, I recommend a religiously inspired http://www.pereprava.org/projects/
Thanks to those who responded to Antidote 6 RAGA Newsletter containing IAC appeal against US meddling in Ukraine. It may have been a link error in Ramsey Clark's petition to Pres. Obama. The direct link to the petition is
http://www.iacenter.org/ukrainepetition/.
I'm happy to report that the Veterans for Peace (VFP), an organization which I joined in 1998, have announced that a number of prominent Americans, such as Oliver Stone, Ed Asner, Andrew Bacevich, Jackson Browne and Ralph Nader joined its International Advisory Board.
Well, if you still doubt the uniqueness of Russia’s Russian Christian civilization, William Brumfield’s photographs. William is Professor of Russian at Tulane University. From his email:
<<My current article for Russia beyond the Headlines is devoted to
The Cathedral Square ensemble of Kargopol, one of the most beautiful of northern Russia's ancient towns http://rbth.com/travel/2014/11/07/the_shrines_of_kargopol_preserving_the_art_of_the_russian_north_41243.html
For best results with the slide show (full screen), click the 4-arrow icon at lower right of photo window.
This is the 113th of my articles and photo essays on Russia's architectural and cultural heritage for the foreign-language service of the Russian national newspaper Rossiiskaia Gazeta. A unified link to the series can be found at: http://rbth.ru/discovering_russia
Through this link a total of 3,358 photographs from my documentary work in Russia are now accessible.>>
While Russia currently undergoes spiritual and religious renaissance, a miraculous recovery after 73 years of atheist Soviet suppression, this cannot be said of some Western counties, certainly, not of Italy, the well-spring of European renaissance and once the strong-hold of Catholicism
http://rt.com/news/200999-italy-church-repurposed-martino/
<<With the Italian economy crippled by recession, more and more churches are being deconsecrated and sold to private buyers, who repurpose these former houses of God into banks, theaters, night clubs and even car repair shops…Several thousand churches have recently found new owners, indicating the hard times experienced by the Catholic Church and Italy’s general switch towards secularity. >>
Malice to None. Good Will to All.
Peace and Justice to the World.
миру мир и благоволение в сердцах
From RAGA site:
"We are an association of Americans who believe it is in the U.S. national interests to foster friendship with Russia on the basis of mutual Good Will and non-interference in each other's affairs. RAGA is a gathering of people who share common interests in Russia's history, culture, religion, economy, politics and the way of life. We feel that Russian people have made outstanding contributions to humankind and are capable of greater achievements. We envision Russia as a strong, independent, proud and free nation and as a partner in achieving peace in the world."
Sincerely,
W George Krasnow (=Vladislav Krasnov)
President, RAGA
All statements in this report are an opinion of the author. Act at your own risk. Russia & America Goodwill Association (RAGA) is not responsible for the content of the article. Any views or opinions presented in this report are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RAGA. Any liability in respect to this communication remain with the author.
RAGA News
www.RAGA.org
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