About four years ago, I took part in a trip to Russia from the United States, as part of a group organized by Sharon Tennison. She had facilitated a huge number of trips and exchanges decades ago, bringing Russians to the U.S. and people from the U.S. to Russia, an effort that had influenced international relations for the better, as described in her book The Power of Impossible Ideas. Sharon had relaunched the project due to the escalating tensions.
I met Russians from a variety of backgrounds, some of whom now protest Russia's warmaking and some of whom cheer for it. Sharon, who has personally known Vladimir Putin, as well as many other high-profile Russians, opposes Russia's warmaking, without losing sight of the missteps -- including by the United States and NATO -- that predictably (and it was predicted) got us to this point.
I don't see exactly eye-to-eye with Sharon (or perhaps anyone else) on the current war, but on one thing I agree with many people: talking helps. Knowing each other helps. Storming out of meetings, evicting diplomats, generalizing about whole populations, and accusing others of being incapable of rational discourse does not help. Talking helps tremendously. Just how much might surprise almost everyone.
In April 2022, World BEYOND War will be holding a weekly discussion each of four weeks of The Power of Impossible Ideas: Ordinary Citizens'
Extraordinary Efforts to Avert International Crises with the author
Sharon Tennison as part of a small group WBW book club limited to 18 participants. We'll mail you the book or, if you prefer, email you the PDF. We'll let you know which parts of the book
will be discussed each week along with the Zoom details to access the
discussions.
Learn more and register here.
When: For one hour on four Saturdays, April 2, 9, 16, and 23, 2022. The
time is 12 p.m. Pacific, 3 p.m. Eastern, 8 p.m. in London, 9 p.m.
Central European, 7 a.m. the next day in Auckland:
Where: Zoom (details to be shared upon registration)
This is a small group series with limited space of up to 18 people. Sign up to reserve your spot and allow for enough time to receive the book. We look forward to reading and discussing this important book with you!
About the Book: Sharon Tennison and the Center for Citizen Initiatives proudly introduce the story of our three decades of work in Russia. Read the history of Russia’s last three turbulent decades as observed by naive American citizens who traveled there in 1983 searching for keys to end the nuclear arms race. They could have never guessed they would be central to many of the totally unexpected changes to come. Experience their skirmishes with the CIA, FBI, KGB and FSB -- being arrested and put in jail.
Beyond all the drama exists the story of how they slowly and methodically created unique programs to help Russian citizens survive the dissolution of the USSR, begin recreating themselves after the fall of Communism, and weather the storms of recurring financial crises. Impossible ideas moves the Americans rapidly forward from obscurity to finding themselves inside the Kremlin, the White House, and the U.S. Congress. A fascinating read, the book is a testament to the power of ordinary citizens to act on their most outlandish ideas and watch them become a reality; even in an international quagmire as deeply entrenched as was the US-USSR relationship.
Learn more and reserve your spot.
Peace,
David Swanson
Executive Director, World BEYOND War
World BEYOND War is a global network of volunteers, chapters, and affiliated organizations advocating for the abolition of the institution of war.
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