News

We believe that it is imperative that both the US and Russia abandon the cold war mentality that has plagued the relationship over the past decade and initiate a process of dialogue and diplomacy leading to the normalization of relations between the two countries. [Read more…] about Excerpt from ACURA’s Open Letter: A call for a new era of diplomacy and engagement between the U.S. and Russia

 

The American Committee for US-Russia Accord

usrussiaaccord.org

A call for a new era of diplomacy and engagement between the U.S. and Russia

 

 

Introduction

The dangerous and in many ways unprecedented deterioration in relations between the United States and the Russian Federation must come to an end if we are to leave a safer world for future generations.

For many years now, relations between the US and Russia have been marked by sanctions and counter-sanctions; the passage of ”foreign agents” designations on media outlets and NGO’s; the curtailing of people-to-people exchange programs; and the end of cooperation in areas of mutual interest such as counter-terrorism, drug interdiction, and the environment.

The Trump era and Russiagate brought about an unprecedented credulity among the media and the Washington punditry — or perhaps more, a willingness to assign blame to Russia for the outcome of the 2016 election [this has now been discredited].  It has now in turn given birth to two much more dangerous phenomena: an escalating militarism reminiscent of the darkest days of the Cold War; and a dangerous erosion of the decades-long bilateral arms control regime negotiated even during that Great Power standoff.

These developments imperil not just the two principal players, but are a threat to global peace, prosperity, even survival. They must be addressed. This will not be easily accomplished:  hostility toward Russia profits some–it fuels the military-industrial complex and strengthens the hand of the hard liners in both Russia and the United States.  It throttles diplomatic engagement and obliterates the space for dissenting views from the dominant anti-Russia narrative.

Still worse, the Trump era continued a dangerous deterioration of the decades-long bilateral consensus on arms control that had been established between the two countries during the first cold war.

For a just and secure future, these trends will have to be reckoned with – and then reversed. We believe cold wars are inimical to US national security – indeed they are inimical to global peace and prosperity. They empower the military-industrial complex and the war parties on both sides. Nationalist fervor rises, diplomacy is sidelined, and the space for dissent closes.

As for diplomacy, in an unfortunate continuation of the downward spiral that began under Presidents Putin, Obama and then accelerated under Mr. Trump, both countries have recalled their ambassadors home, an unprecedented move that was not even done at the height of the first cold war. We might do well to recall that during the Cuban missile crisis, the Soviet Union and the U.S. kept their Ambassadors in place. And good thing they did: the backchannel Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy established with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin was one of the reasons the crisis was solved peacefully.

With this history in mind, we, the undersigned, call for an end to the cycle of recriminations between the U.S. and Russia.

We believe that it is imperative that both the US and Russia abandon the cold war mentality that has plagued the relationship over the past decade and initiate a process of dialogue and diplomacy leading to the normalization of relations between the two countries.

For too long, as our esteemed board member, former Ambassador to the Soviet Union, Jack Matlock reminds us, there has been too much emphasis on summits as solutions in themselves. Successful ones have to be prepared quietly. Both sides have to want them to succeed and they cannot if one is convinced that the other side is out to remove the leadership of the other country.

Instead we need to find ways to “do no harm” and halt the deterioration of relations and the seemingly endless cycle of recriminations.  We need to start thinking  in new and creative ways – in short,  it is time for a new approach – one that focuses on conciliation.

For such an approach to succeed, the U.S. might focus more on getting its own house in order, and less on lecturing Russia on “human rights.” We might valuably differentiate between contentious issues that are vital to our national interests and those that are not. We might usefully recognize that Russia has its own national security issues of concern, especially in its own neighborhood.

In the spirit of detente, a concept that launched our committee in 1974, we propose taking the following steps to build trust and facilitate dialogue:

 

i.    We urge the Biden Administration to reopen the Consulates and reverse its recent decision to halt Visa services for most Russians.

 

ii. President Biden should invite President Putin to join him in reaffirming the declaration first made by President Reagan and Soviet leader Gorbachev at their 1985 summit in Geneva that “A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” This went a long way during the Cold War to reassure the peoples of the two countries and the world that even though we had deep differences we were committed to never fighting a nuclear war. It would go a long way to do the same today.

 

iii.  Reengage with Russia. Restore wide contacts, scientific, medical, educational, cultural and environmental exchanges. Expand people-to-people citizen diplomacy, Track II, Track 1.5 and governmental diplomatic initiatives. In this regard, it is worth recalling that another of our board members, former US Senator Bill Bradley, was the guiding force behind the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX), based on his conviction that “the best way to ensure long-lasting peace and understanding between the U.S. and Eurasia is to enable young people to learn about democracy firsthand through experiencing it”.

 

There is so much more we need to take on, but we believe these would serve as the foundation for progress in other areas down the road. To make progress on arms control and establishing rules of the road for cyber, we should take these steps to reduce tensions, and to rebuild trust. We should recognize that we do have areas of common interest: in combating climate change, fighting terrorism, and working together to address global public health challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

We believe that the time has come to resurrect diplomacy, restore and maintain a dialogue on nuclear risks that’s insulated from our political differences like we did during the Cold War. Without communication, this increases the likelihood of escalation to nuclear use in a moment of crisis.

We must sustain diplomacy and a dialogue with Russia — or explain to future generations why we took no action — at a time so fraught with peril.

 

Signed,

Christopher Charles Dyson, Executive Vice President of the Dyson-Kissner Moran Corporation, Member of the Board of the American Committee for US-Russia Accord (ACURA)

Cynthia Lazaroff, Founder of NuclearWakeUpCall.Earth,  Member of the Board of ACURA

Anatol Lieven, Sr. Fellow, The Quincy Institute, Member of the Board of ACURA

Jack F. Matlock, Former U.S. Ambassador to the USSR, Member of the Board of ACURA

Donald F. McHenry, Former U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Member of the Board of ACURA

Krishen Mehta, Sr. Global Justice Fellow, Yale University, Member of the Board of ACURA

Ellen Mickiewicz, Professor Emeritus, Duke University, Member of the Board of ACURA

John Pepper, Former Chairman and CEO of The Procter & Gamble Company, Member of the Board of ACURA

Nicolai N. Petro, Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island, Member of the Board of ACURA

David C. Speedie, Sr. Adviser and Member of the Board of ACURA

Sharon Tennison, Founder of Center for Citizen Initiatives, Member of the Board of ACURA

Katrina vanden Heuvel, Publisher and Editorial Director of The Nation, Member of the Board of ACURA

William J. Vanden Heuvel, Former Ambassador to the United Nations, Member of the Board of ACURA

The Biden administration informed Russia on Thursday that it will not rejoin a key arms control pact, even as the two sides prepare for a summit next month between their leaders, the State Department said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a bill to withdraw from an international treaty allowing surveillance flights over military facilities, following the U.S. exit from the pact.

As people of good will and staunch supporters of genuine nuclear arms control, we welcome your desire to meet together during your scheduled Summit in Geneva, Switzerland on June 16, 2021 to tackle some very important international and bilateral issues. [Read more…] about The People’s Summit: Open Appeal addressed to Presidents Biden and Putin on No First Use

The National Security Archive marks the 100thanniversary of Anatoly Sergeyevich Chernyaev’s birth with the publication of the first English-language translation of the Chernyaev diary (described as “irreplaceable” by Pulitzer-Prize-winning author David Hoffman) for the year 1981.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Geneva on June 16, the White House said on Tuesday.

Top diplomats from the United States and Russia are set to square off this week in Iceland for their first face-to-face encounter that comes as ties between the nations have deteriorated sharply in recent months.

Said Lavrov, “I agree with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who stressed recently that no country can overcome such global threats to the lives of our citizens alone, not even the United States.”

Putin, who has been in power as either president or prime minister since 1999, stood beside Soviet war veterans on a review platform set up on Red Square.

Tonight’s Russia salon will be led by Katrina vanden Heuvel and will feature Nicolai Petro, Cynthia Lazaroff, Krishen Mehta, David Speedie and Jack Matlock (former all-star February 2015 salon speaker at the National Press Club.) The topic could not be more timely or urgent. Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85325069326

On Thursday, April 29, at 7pm EST, The Committee for the Republic will host ACURA as part of their annual Russia Salon series. Details below. Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85325069326 [Read more…] about Announcement: Upcoming ACURA Event: Getting Along With Russia 4/29 at 7pm on ZOOM

The US ambassador in Moscow says he is returning to Washington for consultations amid rising tensions. Moscow had suggested the envoy leave temporarily.

 

The two leaders also discussed Russia’s military buildup and ongoing tension with Ukraine.

This virtual briefing on U.S.-Russia policy in the post-Trump era will include former Gov. Jerry Brown, publisher of The Nation magazine Katrina vanden Heuvel, the Quincy Institute’s Anatol Lieven, and more. This briefing is sponsored by The American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord and Just Foreign Policy and will take place Thursday, April 1, at 1pm, with full details listed below. You can register for the event at this link.

On Russia, we agreed to coordinate our efforts in addressing Russia’s confrontational behavior and encourage Russia to abandon this path.  We continue to stand ready to engage with Russia on issues of common interest.  We will continue working together on the European Union Eastern Neighborhood.  We are committed to support the democratic aspirations, the sovereignty, and territorial integrity of these countries, starting with Ukraine.  The EU and the U.S. are drivers in supporting the reforms necessary for the economic prosperity of the region.

The foreign ministers of China and Russia affirmed their countries’ close ties at a meeting Tuesday, amid intense criticism and new Western sanctions against them over human rights.

Russia on Wednesday called its ambassador to the United States back to Moscow for consultations on the future of U.S.-Russia ties after U.S. President Joe Biden said Vladimir Putin would “pay a price” for alleged election meddling.

Publicly, the European Union has dismissed Russia’s global coronavirus vaccine supply campaign as a propaganda stunt by an undesirable regime.

The heads of the Chinese and Russian space agencies signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday on cooperative construction of an international lunar research station.