Written by Dr. Roger Kotila   

Militaristic expansion to Russia’s borders by US/North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a dangerous brew of geopolitical maneuvering which increases the likelihood that by accident, by reckless provocation, or by secret design through CIA false flag operations--war could unexpectedly break out.

A string of lies and sophisticated propaganda has been strung regarding Ukraine, Crimea, and Syria to make Russia appear to be the “bad guy.” These areas of contention are all potential flash points for further conflict and war.

The present dangers are aggravated by the recent Warsaw NATO Summit which announced plans to situate US/NATO troops in Poland and three Baltic states (Estonia, Lithuania, & Latvia) bordering Russia. There are additional plans to deploy a ballistic missile system (Wall Street Journal, 7-9-16).

UN CANNOT PREVENT NUCLEAR WAR
The United Nations, shackled by its obsolete Charter, stands by helplessly unable to intervene as US/NATO moves full speed ahead with a campaign of disinformation demonizing Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia itself as an aggressive “enemy.”

The quandary for the world community is that the UN cannot do what is necessary to keep the peace or to prevent nuclear war. Moreover, when it comes to war mongering, the UN lacks the tools needed to prosecute those who use propaganda to manipulate public opinion to justify military build-ups.

WHY AMERICA CANNOT BE TRUSTED
Russia sees NATO’s military moves at its borders as potentially hostile acts and grows ever more suspicious of US motives, alert to the fact that Russia may be targeted for regime change. The US has already used covert and/or overt operations for regime change in Iraq, Ukraine, Syria, Libya and elsewhere.

In response the Russians are increasing their own troop levels and putting into place their own advanced nuclear weaponry.

Former US diplomat J. Michael Springmann, author of "Visas for Al Qaeda -- CIA Handouts that Rocked the World" (2014) concluded that the U.S. State Department works with the CIA to "destabilize governments that the U.S. opposed." This was clearly the case in the Ukraine.

Springmann, now a lawyer in Washington, D.C., estimates that "the average percentage of intelligence officers (CIA, NSA) to real diplomats at a given Foreign Service post is about one in three." (Springmann, 2014, pp. 4 & 9).

In the Foreign Service sewer described by Springmann, one could see how Russia is falsely made out as a villain, when in reality it becomes a victim—a target for falsehoods and "regime change.”

DOES MAINSTREAM MEDIA FALSELY MAKE RUSSIA THE BAD GUY?
Is Russia really an enemy, or is it a victim of a propaganda campaign? Is Russian President Vladimir Putin being falsely demonized by the establishment press?

There is ample evidence that supports condemnation of both the government and the establishment press. The public is gradually learning about the lies that led to the Viet Nam war, the ongoing 9/11 cover-up, and the disinformation used to justify the brutal and illegal invasion of Iraq.

In “NATO Reaffirms Its Bogus Russia Narrative” (Consortiumnews.com, 7-11-16) veteran investigative journalist Robert Parry shows clearly how deception is being brazenly used by US/NATO in order to falsely make it appear that Russia is an aggressive enemy. Parry writes:

[“It’s unnerving to realize that the NATO alliance – bristling with an unprecedented array of weapons including a vast nuclear arsenal – has lost its collective mind. Perhaps it’s more reassuring to think that NATO simply feels compelled to publicly embrace its deceptive ‘strategic communications’ so gullible Western citizens will be kept believing its lies are truth.”

“But here were the leaders of major Western “democracies” lining up to endorse a Warsaw Summit Communiqué condemning “Russia’s aggressive actions” while knowing that these claims were unsupported by their own intelligence agencies.” – Robert Parry 7/11/16]

Facing the possibility of an unthinkable nuclear war, it is of no small consequence that the public is being deceived, and that the NATO governments cannot be trusted to do the right thing.

PRIVATE CITIZEN DIPLOMATS
With the UN unable to defuse the NATO vs. Russia confrontation, citizen diplomats have sprung into action having just returned from Russia.

Meet Sharon Tennison, president of the Center for Citizen Initiatives (CCI) whose open letter on CCI’s website (www.ccisf.org, July 2016) tells a very different story about Russian intentions than what we are told by Western media.

Ms. Tennison is a uniquely qualified expert on Russia. She has visited Russia in "hundreds of trips...in the past 33 years." CCI was started in 1983 during the Gorbachev and Reagan era with the bold idea that ordinary Americans “could insert themselves into the nuclear arms race and bring about a constructive relationship with the Soviet Union.”

Nowadays Tennison is sharply critical of the American press. “Our mainstream media doesn't give us the accurate information we need," she reports, disturbed by how Western news sources paint the Russians as the aggressor and therefore an “enemy” – contrary to her direct personal knowledge of Russia and its people.

CCI’s Track Two diplomacy proved to be hugely successful. “But unfortunately,” writes Tennison, “over the last two years relations between the two nuclear Superpowers have deteriorated badly.”

“As 2016 opens we find ourselves again facing the possibility of an unthinkable nuclear conflict. Once again it’s time for citizen diplomats from both countries to step in and help guide us back from the precipice at which we’ve arrived (Tennison, open letter, July 2016, www.ccisf.org).”

RUSSIA NOT AN ENEMY, NOT THE BAD GUY
Retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright is part of the 20 person delegation that went to Russia. Wright, who once served in the State Department, questions US/NATO's militarism and its characterization of Russia as an “enemy.” She comes away convinced that the Russians want peaceful relations, not war, and provides a persuasive analysis in "Russians Ask Why Do You Demonize Us When We Are So Much Like You?" (OpEdNew, 7-4-16; also in www.ccisf.org).

Take Crimea, for example. The Wall Street Journal’s editorial (7-11-16) is misleading. It describes Russia’s annexation of Crimea as part of a Russian “land grab,” ignoring the fact that Crimeans freely voted to be part of the Russian federation rather than stay with Ukraine.

This fact is confirmed by CCI citizen diplomats who met in person with numerous Crimeans. The great majority of people they talked to indicated that they did not want to be part of Ukraine and preferred to stay with Russia.

Ukraine is another case where the public is misled. As the result of an intercepted phone conversation we now know that Ukraine’s democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown in a violent coup engineered through the covert efforts of the likes of the State Department's Victoria Nuland. Mr. Yanukovych was the victim of an American plot for regime change.

CITIZEN DIPLOMACY TAKEN TO A NEW LEVEL
Citizen diplomats have reached out to ordinary citizens in others nations for mutual understanding and friendship. They have even influenced superpower leaders to reduce the chances of a nuclear war.

But citizen diplomats have yet to open the doors that will cause the UN General Assembly to rise up, the UN Security Council to step down, and the UN Charter to be replaced.

The flaws in the UN Charter which prevent the UN from doing its primary job—preventing wars and eliminating nuclear weapons, must be addressed. The member-states of the United Nations have not done this, and as a result the UN is sidelined when it really matters, such as the crisis between NATO and Russia.

Neither the UN General Assembly nor the UN Security Council has so far dealt with the urgent need for a “new UN.” Peace activists are addressing this obstacle by demanding Charter review and showing that a review is legally required.

Earth Federation activists are lauding the Constitution for the Federation of Earth (i.e., the Earth Constitution) as the ideal replacement for the Charter.

Yes, it is time for a “new UN,” one that can do away with the current geopolitical war system and replace it with a global peace system. The Earth Constitution is ready to go.

Roger Kotila, Ph.D.
Earth Federation News & Views