Retired U.S. Air Force Major General Chris Adams: The Cold War -- Then and Now?

Retired U.S. Air Force Major General Chris Adams: The Cold War -- Then and Now?
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If history is our teacher, what have we learned regarding the cold war? According to Chris Adams, a published cold war historian, we've much to learn from history. Adams' research and publications provides a ready vaccine to prevent us from catching another cold war.

Adams writes and speaks about the cold war from first hand experiences as a retired U.S. Air Force Major General, former Chief of Staff of Strategic Air Command, former Associate Director, Los Alamos National Laboratory as well as a civilian. Noted in Adams' most recent PWRNetwork interview: Retired U.S. Air Force Major General Chris Adams: The Cold War - Then and Now? (click to listen to the entire interview), his cold war research started in 2000 when an editorial struck a deep nerve. When Adams read an editorial published by a colleague who stated the former Soviet Union (now known as the Russian Federation) did not engage in a cold war with the USA, Adams embarked on an ongoing journey to prove false his colleague's statement.

Drawing upon his published works: Inside the Cold War: A Cold Warriors Reflections and Ideologies In Conflict: A Cold War Docu-Story we listen to Adams' account of his flights in 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis. Who remembers those frightful 13 days in October 1962 when the world came close to nuclear annihilation? Will these memories (combined with Adams research and publications) awaken the wisdom we need to prevent one more cold war? Or will Adams' noted primary concern of the abundance of apathy regarding recent events (such as a squadron of 30 Russian nuclear-capable bombers flying over Alaska via the Aleutian Chain in June of 2012) doom us to repeating some of the darkest days of our bloody history?

Adams' interview invites us to wonder how a former KGB agent became both a Russian billionaire and Russia's President in short order. Adams also asks us to ponder Putin's offer to clean-up Syrian's chemical weapons. Is Putin's offer an act of leadership or camouflage to conceal who made and sold those weapons to Syria in the first place?

Given Putin's recent actions, Adams responds to questions concerning the Putin's annexation of Crimea. Is Ukraine next based on recent reports of a seized Crimea-based Ukrainian airbase? Are Putin's actions modeled after Hitler's annexation policies? A recent Washington Post article notes that "Hillary Clinton says Putin's actions are like 'what Hitler did back in the '30s".

Adams interview is a wake-up call for us all to start learning as much as we can about a cold war now primed to fuel fears old and new. Listen to Adams' interview to absorb a few lessons from a notable, published cold war historian. After your history lesson, post your thoughts on what you learn. Post questions about the cold war you think we need answers to! We'll ask and attempt to answer these questions in Adams' upcoming online classes.

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