America-Russia.net

Happily, there are people out there who are working to build better US-Russian relations. The organizers of this project are listed at the end of the announcement, which I initially saw on JRL:

May 1, 2005 - New bilingual U.S. Russia site launched today

The essence and thrust of our project is evident from its very name: America-Russia: From Confrontation to Alliance.

Today, mentioning the word “alliance” with reference to U.S.-Russian relations jars the ear of only the most ardent supporters of confrontation between America and Russia, as in the all but forgotten days of the Cold War. Unfortunately, many such people still have influence in both our nations. One would have thought the American tragedy of “9-11” should have taught them, informing them that the times of the Cold War era belong irrevocably to the past. Russians and Americans now face a common enemy: Islamic terrorism (which, incidentally, struck Russia long before it did America).

We share a common approach to combating this phenomenon; a common aspiration to eliminate threats to our present-day civilization: regional conflicts, the uncontrolled proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, illicit drugs and the spread of AIDS, among challenging issues. We also share a common belief that one of the best guarantees for a stable world order is democracy. All of this is embodied not only in politicians’ speeches, but also within a collaborative framework strengthening bilateral relations, and above all within the framework of the anti-terrorist coalition. [...]

The commonalities uniting our two countries are much more profound than those characteristics which separate us: a firm resolve to confront Islamic terrorism, a strategic interest in nurturing our energy dialogue and the aspiration to maintain stability and democratic order throughout the world, despite Russia’s history of democracy being much shorter than America’s, or the necessity for Russia to continue to develop it, much like many other countries around the world.

What’s more, Russia’s stability and future prospects for democracy are very much tied to its relations with America. For sure, those who would jettison democracy as a viable option for Russia’s future are doing their utmost to scar America’s image. The same is happening in America with respect to Russia.

This is why we consider it so important to discuss in a serious forum pressing issues concerning our countries’ bilateral relations and the positions that experts and analysts make. Most importantly, this discussion must take place in a constructive, cordial fashion. [...] Our objective is to create not only another expert discussion forum, but also a kind of reality even if only virtual exemplifying constructive, harmonious relations between our two nations. [...]

It is symbolic that this project should commence on the eve of the 60th anniversary of our common victory over fascism. It serves as one more forceful reminder of our allied past. It also serves to guide our alliance in the future.

Edward Lozansky, president of the American University in Moscow and of Kontinent USA Media Group
Gleb Pavlovsky, president of the Foundation for Effective Policy and publisher of Russky Zhurnal
Aleksandr Shumilin, director of the Center for Analysis of Greater Middle East Conflicts and publisher of MidEast.Ru
Peter Lavelle, United Press International analyst and author of Untimely Thoughts

Here's a link to the Russian version of the site , and here's the English version.