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The armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine is claiming more and more human lives, while the U.S. political leadership continues to reject the peace proposals of authoritative experts, including Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs. Will there finally be a politician who will put an end to the war madness...
As the drumbeats of war sound loud and the warmongering rhetoric gets shrill, everyone is wondering if there is anyone around who will save this planet from Armageddon. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban sees only one individual who can do it: Donald Trump. That is, if he wins the upcoming elections next November, keeps the word about his intention to end the war in Ukraine, and overcomes expected sabotage from the war party. Placing all bets on one individual is not very reassuring, but at this point, we don’t see anyone else who can do it. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. could try, but he has no chance of winning.
In the meantime, what is left for those not ready to face the end of the world? Facing the absence of anyone else who claims to be our savior, many folks reply positively to the daily avalanche of Trump’s fundraising letters. Some are joining the growing chorus of prominent experts with large audiences demanding that Washington and Moscow start peace negotiations.
For example, Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs’ appeal, “For goodness’ sake, negotiate!” made a huge social media splash and was also noticed in the mainstream media. He reminded us of five Moscow attempts from June 2008 – June 2024 to invite Western leaders to start the dialogue. All of these attempts, which included provisions to honor the February 9, 1990, Western pledge to Soviet President Michail Gorbachev “not to expand NATO one inch East”, were dismissed.
Author Benjamin Abelow‘s book “How the West Brought War to Ukraine” was translated into many languages. In it, he explains “why the United States and NATO bear much responsibility for the Ukraine crisis, and it is they who are subjecting their citizen and the rest of the world to the risk of nuclear war.”
University of Chicago Professor John Mearsheimer agrees, and so do many other US foreign policy experts, retired military. Intelligence, and some Members of Congress. Still, one has to admit that all of them and their followers together didn’t reach a critical grassroots level to resist the war party like during the Vietnam War.
Instead of accepting Russia’s peace proposals, the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
In closing, I’d like to mention two other missed chances to avoid this crisis, which were undertaken with the help of “people’s diplomacy” but are largely forgotten.
The first was in the spring of 1991 when Washington insider Republican Paul Weyrich visited President George Bush, Sr. in the Oval Office to suggest developing a joint US-Soviet strategic missile defense as a foundation to build trust between the former rivals. Earlier, Paul asked me to convey this idea to Moscow, which I did through my friend Academician Yuri Ossipyan, Gorbachev’s science advisor. Ossipyan was highly respected in both countries as Vice-President of the Soviet Academy of Sciences and a Member of the US National Academy of Engineering. He requested opinions in high political and military circles, including Gorbachev, who welcomed this initiative. Weyrich told me after the meeting that Mr. Bush listened attentively until Condoleezza Rice had walked into the room and practically dismissed this idea.
Another one was in November 2001 when Republican Congressman Curt Welson assembled a large group of public activists and over 100 Members of Congress to prepare a document, “New Time – New Begining,” with concrete several dozen proposals and projects for US-Russia cooperation in many fields, from science, education, and medicine to space, military, and again for missile defense. This document was handed over to President George Bush, Jr. and Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Washington. This was a time of high expectations after the first successful US operation in Afghanistan in October 2001, when Russia offered significant logistical and intelligence support to the US. Bush welcomed Putin with a red carpet treatment and praised him as a new Russian leader with whom America will build a brighter future for both countries and the world. In turn, Putin said Russia is ready to join America for this noble cause.
Regrettably, George W. Bush, soon after, ungratefully repaid Putin with the unilateral abrogation of the ABM treaty, the promotion of “color” revolutions in post-Soviet space, and a push for further NATO expansion, including into Ukraine and Georgia.
I mentioned all this because although no one can answer the question posed in the headline of this article, knowing history might help to clear the fog of the current crisis.
