The Rotary Club of Kirkland held its regular weekly meeting online on November 23, 2020.
Attending were James Nevers, Dave Aubry, Joanne Primavera, Rick Walter, Dave DeBois, Margie Glenn, John Pruitt, George Anderson, Rick Ostrander, Monica Fratita, Gary Cohn, Dan Bartel, Steve Shinstrom, Rich Bergdahl, and Bob Auslander. Let me know if I missed anyone.
President James Nevers rang the bell at 6:21 p.m.
Joanne Primavera recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
Announcements:
Dave DeBois reported that we will support 15 families for Christmas. We will receive lists, and $500 per family will be available. Details are to come. We have contributed to Eastside Baby Corner.
Dave Aubry reported that the city of Kirkland has not yet broken ground on our Cross Kirkland Corridor Pavilion project.
James Nevers reminded everyone that next week’s meeting will be an attempt to watch the Seahawks on Monday Night Football. The plan is to start at 5:15 p.m.
At 6:30 p.m. we had a breakout session where we spoke of plans for Thanksgiving and about how we are all waiting for the vaccines to be available. We also discussed what we have been doing lately.
Rick Walter introduced our speaker, Dr. Glennys Young, a history professor at the UW. She spoke about the old U.S.S.R. and today’s Russia.
She stated that we are afraid of Russian election interference here, and the Russians fear U.S. interference in Russia’s internal affairs. In the past, especially, the U.S. would beam radio programs to Russian satellites and the separate entities within the U.S.S.R., such as Belarus and Ukraine. Russian global reach has been expanding in the last few years. Much of Russian distrust of U.S. behavior is due to:
- Russians at many levels believe that the U.S.S.R. collapsed due to U.S. meddling and destabilization efforts.
- Gorbachev claims that U.S. TV shows, such as Dynasty, created awareness/dissatisfaction with the Soviet system.
- George H. W. Bush’s administration did not want the Soviet Union to disassemble.
The Clinton administration tried to help Boris Yeltsin win re-election as Russian president in 1996. He won in a flawed election.
NATO expansion into former Soviet Satellites and former Soviet republics has created deep concern and fear in Russia. There is fear that NATO will expand into more former Soviet republics.
Mr. Biden believes Russia is making a coordinated attack on the western democracies, especially the U.S. Russia prefers authoritarian governments that use the façade of elections to create legitimacy.
To improve relations, the U.S. should:
- Try to have a properly prepared summit between President-elect Biden and President Putin.
- Make unambiguous the new norms of U.S. relations with Russia.
- Foster “Cultural Diplomacy” through cultural exchanges. This could be a call to action for Rotary International.
Efforts can be made in all three areas to improve relations with Russia.
There were a number of complex questions from members regarding the past and potential future of U.S./Russia relations and how China might fit into the mix.
Our meeting on November 30 will start about 5:15 p.m. so we can watch part of the Seahawks’ game.
We adjourned at about 7:33 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted
David Aubry - Acting Scribe