“The history of ‘Russian Kauai’ hooked me with the fact that there is so much involved: the geopolitics of the early nineteenth century, sea otters, China, St. Petersburg’s ‘decision-making’, Boston captains and Hawaiian intrigue. There is of course Fort Elizabeth, where you can imagine the Russian flag being raised on May 21st, 1816 in the presence of a huge number of Kauaians. The adventures. The romance. The beauty of the ‘Russian’ Hanalei valley. Even the humble river Hanapepe, which received a new name: ‘Don’” – PIR Center founder, Head of the Center for Global Trends and International Organizations, Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, MGIMO Professor Vladimir Orlov.

“Everything points to the fact that the New START will follow the fate of the INF Treaty, and the whole system of arms control will cease to exist. But I think it is not going to be like that for long. Sooner or later, the United States will come to the same conclusion they reached in the late 60s: when it comes to nuclear weapons, predictability is even more important than arms reductions. Considering that the United States and Russia already have experience in providing predictability in this area, it will be necessary to return to it,” – Gen. Evgeny Buzhinskiy, Chairman of the PIR Center Executive Board.

“We have only two arms control treaties left, and I hope that the New START will be extended. What would an arms control regime look like after the New START expires? It is necessary to impose limitations upon the missile defense system because, following the American logic during the 60s, ABM turns to be a weapon of a potential aggressor. It is useless and impossible to include everything in one treaty, but the restrictions on offensive and defensive arms, including space-based ones will have to be the key elements of a future arms control architecture,” – Gen. Evgeny Buzhinskiy, Chairman of the PIR Center Executive Board.