We are facing challenging times because too many leaders led without having an experienced based grasp of world needs. We rely too much on emasculated journalism, ranting analysis, and tweeting logic. We need to involve MANY MORE Americans in serving on good teams with Russians and other nations. Such hands-on service will reveal needs and answers for a challenged world, and may be the only way to sustain that world.

Hey Russia… Let’s team up!

In his Moscow July 9, 2009 speech, President Obama delivered another insightful, visionary speech reflecting what has been, is, and should exist between Russia and America.

Since a healthy, envisioned world is more likely to appear when preceded by good laws, hopefully the President and Congress will support, introduce, and implement the American World Service Corps (AWSC) Congressional Proposals that will create what “should exist between Russia and America,” as well as the robust service corps the world needs.

“There is the 20th century view that the United States and Russia are destined to be antagonists, and that a strong Russia or a strong America can only assert themselves in opposition to one another.”

Outward Bound programs established in troubled schools typically take students of different races, classes, gangs, etc., and require that they quickly and effectively learn to work together for their own safety and good. Unlike most classroom experiences, such Outward Bound team building imprints character and learning lessons that never leave.

The state of the world requires that we go outside the diplomatic box and build such teams with Russia – and many other nations – now, when the world is in crisis and yearning to learn new answers to age-old problems. In fact, People’s Lobby’s (PLI) pushed such an answer in 1989 when it proposed establishing an American Soviet Peace Corps, which then Congresswoman Boxer introduced as HR 1807.

The world has too long become accustomed to nations building teams of armies to ply its will on others. Under the AWSC Congressional Proposals, PLI uses the AWSC as a template to inspire and lead other nations to move from fielding warring teams to teams that build, teach, and learn -- often in tandem with do-good volunteers from other nations.

In 1989, the San Francisco Soviet Consulate (Sergei Aivazian, Chief Deputy) was VERY supportive in moving the American Soviet Peace Corps (ASPC) forward. Imagine if we had implemented the ASPC then. Imagine if by now 100,000 or more Americans and Soviets had served side-by-side. There would be no need to use the word “antagonist” when discussing the teamwork and solidarity that would exist by now between Americans and Russians.

“It must be a sustained effort among the American and Russian people to identify mutual interests, and to expand dialogue and cooperation that can pave the way to progress.”

The world is crying for peaceful” sustained effort” from Soviets and Americans working in tandem in an ASPC under an umbrella AWSC. Russians, Chinese, Cubans, Indians, Americans, etc. would identify and address their “mutual interests” in fighting the causes of climate change, poverty, terrorism, etc. The President has the opportunity to do much more than just “dialogue” with Russia. Through implementing the AWSC, he has the opportunity to build people-to- people cooperation through voluntary service that creates dramatic social, economic, and political progress.

“Think of the issues that will define your lives – security from nuclear weapons and extremism; access to markets and opportunity; health and the environment; an international system that protects sovereignty and human rights, while promoting stability and prosperity. These challenges demand global partnership, and that partnership will be stronger if Russia occupies its rightful place as a great power.”

In the late 1980’s, America offered up precious soldiers backed by expensive guns, tanks, and missiles to contain communism and push up scary dominoes. A fundamental reason for introducing HR 1807 then was to:

· Help developing nations develop.

· Build personal understanding and relationships with supposed “antagonists,” whose desires and goals in life are little different than our own.

· Contain scary “isms” by doing the good that builds an overwhelming corps of supportive citizens that eradicates the causes of dangerous isms.

· Bolster the number of teams that peacefully build answers, thereby reducing our over-reliance on teams that respond to problems with warfare.

By implementing a robust AWSC that includes serving with other nations, Russia and America occupy their “rightful place(s) as great power(s).”

“That is why America has a clear goal: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and its allies in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

The last time one of only:

· 462 Peace Corps volunteer (PCVs) served in Pakistan was 1967.

· 1,739 Peace Corps volunteer served in Afghanistan was 1979.

If we had sent 250 PCVs per year, or about 10,000 in total, to those two nations since the Peace Corps 1961 inception, it would have averaged costing us about $20,000 per volunteer, or less than $200,000,000 in total. Would that investment have been worth erasing the poppy trade, festering radicalisms, Al Quaeda, 911… and all the warfare that festered from failing to have had the vision to make such an inexpensive, wise, human investment?

“Beyond Afghanistan, America is committed to promoting the opportunity that will isolate extremists.”

We will not isolate extremists by surrounding them with costly military brigades and bombing them and those close to them. Such an incomplete strategy usually grows extremists’ numbers.

The 21^st century containment policy for scary “isms” cannot be weapons based. We must contain radical and non-democratic isms with armies of good-doing world citizens. By winning hearts, minds, and stomachs, we “will isolate extremists.”

“We can forge partnerships on energy that tap not only traditional resources, but the new sources of energy that will drive growth and combat climate change.”

Those energy partnerships should not be merely commercial. They should include Americans and Soviets serving together in the Peace Corps, Habitat, AmeriCorps, Mercy Corps, etc., brining appropriate technologies, reforestation, Habitat homes, clean water, etc. to villages around the world and to the poor and disaster prone areas of all nations, including America and Russia. For energy partnerships to sustain, we must engage citizens in implementing new sources of energy and energy conservation at the grassroots level and, in the process, learn about each other’s nations, peoples, and needs.

“The world is more complex today.”

Too often powerful interests hoodwink world citizens into following simplistic solutions to complex problems. When powerful nations are dumbed-down by its leaders into following simplistic approaches to complicated world issues, the nation and world pays a bloody, expensive price.

In a increasingly crowded and resource challenged world loading up with weapons of mass destruction, we cannot continue to hope that periodic smart leadership will recover us and the world from periods of unaware, illogical, destructive leadership. Without a much more involved, intelligent citizenry, citizens will fail to push and endorse public policies that will make today’s complex world a better place.

“Because the future does not belong to those who gather armies on a field of battle or bury missiles in the ground – the future belongs to young people with the education and imagination to create.”

Our ancestors, blessed in coming to an American continent filled with resources, wide open spaces, and few people, were educated not just in schoolhouses but from the hard work that accompanied barn raisings and challenging a frontier. Hard work, opportunities, and challenges fired their imaginations.

In our 21^st century, our crowded global villagers raise too few barns together in a resource challenged world. To brighten what has become a dimming future, we must inspire our young peoples’ imaginations, so that many more of them will step into the world’s challenging frontiers and build better lives there.

Voluntarily serving in a variety of do-good organizations under the AWSC’s bigger umbrella, whose size will inspire the world, gives the world’s young and older citizens the conduit through which they will grow the world’s “education and imagination to create.”

For video try Mel Presents AWSC 12/08 or paste http://www.truveo.com/Mel-Van-Dusen-presents-Dwayne-Hunn-the-American/id/533325917 28 minutes.