In 1914, all the leaders of Europe knew the outbreak of war would be a total catastrophe. Yet World War I began and set in motion a chain of catastrophic events.
As relations between the United States and Russia get worse, the possibility of war looms closer over the horizon. Can the United States afford to go to war with Russia? Is it truly worth it?
Russia currently has the largest arsenal of nuclear warheads on the planet, with about 8,000 weapons in their arsenal (the U.S has around 7,000). They are the only country in the world capable of wiping out the United States in 45 minutes. So this is a very real threat that cannot be taken lightly. There is also the fact that both nations only have about 30 minutes to react to a possible incoming nuclear missile. And the reality is that it would really only be 15 minutes (if we want to react in time).So are we really ready to respond to an incoming nuclear threat in 15 minutes? That is doubtful.
There are those who say a nuclear war between the United States and Russia would never happen. That Russia would never strike the United States, because that would surely mean their own destruction.
But we shouldn't be so sure. Will the Russians retaliate if we box them into a corner? Putin himself has said several times that they would.
The end of the Cold War was a huge victory for America, and the hard won peace between the U.S. and Russia helped usher in an era of global peace and prosperity. But now that era seems to be coming to a close.
There is nothing that America can gain from a hostile relationship with Russia.
We are not saying that America should tolerate outrageous behavior from Russia, or from Russia's allies in Syria. However, there is a difference between being tough and suicidal.
There is hope. Hope for peace and prosperity. But in order for this to happen, Russia must be integrated into a system of global security. Far more efforts should be made to resolve the situation and bring Russia back into a cooperative relationship. That's the bottom line and failure to do so has the most ominous dangers for America. Things escalate. Things get out of control. One action leads to another action. That's the lesson of history.
So we have some suggestions below on how to improve relations going forward.
AGENDA FOR IMPROVING RELATIONS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND AMERICA
SETUP AN INTERNATIONAL CHEMICAL WEAPONS MONITORING TASK FORCE IN SYRIA
We at World Future Fund understand President Trump's recent activity in Syria was done for the purpose of preventing a future chemical weapon attack against the people of Syria. But pledging to launch missiles every time one happens brings the world's nuclear super powers of the U.S. and Russia closer to war.
We are glad the April 13th missile strikes were not as lethal as they could have been, and that they did not start a war with Russia. But we believe there are other ways to deter the Syrian regime from using chemical weapons. Russia and America need to work together to figure out what is going on.
What we suggest is the creation of an international chemical weapons monitoring task force in Syria to investigate and prevent chemical weapons attacks in the future, so there is no need for missile strikes. This could be done with coordination between the U.S. and Russia.
DE-ESCALATE THE SITUATION IN THE UKRAINE
SUPPORT AN INTERNATIONALLY SUPERVISED PLEBISCITE
We call on all reasonable people to support an internationally supervised plebiscite in Ukraine to help the different provinces to decide their own future. The situation in Ukraine is an ethnic conflict between ethnic Ukrainians and Russians. We have both Ukrainian and Russian friends. We need a road to a peaceful future for all. Why not give peace and democracy a try?
FURTHER IDEAS TO IMPROVE U.S. AND RUSSIAN RELATIONS
Appoint a Special Ambassador to Russia to review relations between Russia and the United States.
Create a hotline between America and Russia on Syria to make sure there are no confrontations between troops.
So there is a crucial choice here. A choice between war or peace.
With America and Russia there are going to be differences, but that doesn't mean there needs to be war. And this is a war the planet cannot afford.
READ OUR REPORTS
NOTE: Some of these reports were written during the Obama Administration, but the facts mentioned within are still relevant.
Our Priorities For Stopping a New Cold War
In certain unique situations we make grants to other non-profit organizations. Such organizations must be compatible with our main goals as defined on this web site.
One of our top priorities is to stop the escalation of a new Cold War between Russia and the United States.
If you are part of an organization that is working toward this goal, be sure to check out our grants.
Russia is unlike any other country on the planet. They are the one country that has enough nuclear weapons to wipe the United States off the face of the Earth in 45 minutes.
Can the United States afford to continue with its aggressive stance toward Russia? We think not.
When the Cold War ended in 1991, many people around the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. It seemed that the possibility of nuclear annihilation had been averted.
But today the threat looms closer than many people think.
A list of passed U.S. bills granting aid and weapons to Ukraine.
Broken Anglo-American Promises to Russia in World War II (put this into report)
Back in World War II, America broke its promise to Russia to open a second front to aid in the fight against the Nazis.
As a result, many Russian lives were lost, and there has been a deep distrust against the West ever since.
NATO Lies about Eastward Expansion
What exactly was Moscow promised in 1990 by the West? This has been the subject of much dispute.
There should be no dispute. There is not a shadow of doubt that Russia was very specifically promised that NATO would not expand by both America and Germany.