Agree. Well described. I met Joe in the 1980s and came to understand him as a middle of the road, left of center staffer who had a talent for self-_expression_ but also a strong impulse to avoid the unsafe shoals of controversy beyond what was generally
agreed upon -- even if it was supported by excellent research and strong data.
I like the idea of a Quincy sponsored debate on the origins and course of the war in Ukraine, and Mearsheimer would be an excellent talker, among others, for the skeptical point of view. However, Joe would not be a good selection for the pro-conventional
wisdom side: he is more of a B-teamer for the Biden/Blinkin/Ignatius side. Pick any of a score of op ed world creatures or an available Administration staff speaker. Perhaps Joe could talk in a supporting role, regurgitating his Quincy complaints as he may
choose.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 8:17 AM
Subject: Re: [Salon] Setting the record straight: Quincy's position on Ukraine War
Thank you Gareth. That’s JC in a nutshell.
From my experience, Joe Cirincione is far from being a straight shooter -- not when the issue involves conclusions on which the current Democratic administration has based the justification for its policy. Specifically on the issue of the Iran's
alleged nuclear weapons program, he promised to read my book, which I left at his office, but when I called him months later, he acted like anything I might have written was irrelevant and that it was a fact. He was the epicenter of "Arms Control Community"
position that the misinformation and lies that I revealed in my book were irrelevant and couldn't be considered, the clearly implied reason being that they could not be in opposition to their friends in the Obama administration.
Gareth
Joe Cirincione concludes that Putin is solely to blame for the war in Ukraine; he is entitled to think that. Besides, Joe is a straight shooter and I believe he
is sincere in thinking that. In fact, Joe may still sincerely believe in Russia-gate, which – like so many others – he swallowed hook, line, and sinker. As is well known, Joe is super on arms control; on other issues – well, not so much. If Joe, and perhaps
others, want to hear a different take on Russia and Ukraine, they could do worse than click on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY9KAp97z58&t=1185s . (Kelley, perhaps QI could something with it on your website, should it be deemed worthy.)
Is it not a sad sign of the times that QI feels it has to defend itself in this way? No one, but no one, wants to end up “in Putin’s pocket”. Worse than sad.
Why does QI shy away from arranging an honest debate on this key issue? Everyone learns from a clash of views. I would nominate John Mearsheimer to represent the
“realist school.” Would anyone want to nominate someone with different views who would be willing to explore these issues with John? Seems to me this is precisely the kind of thing QI should be doing. Ray
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