Funny.... interesting... Happy reading.

Bill Brison or Anna Gilbert or May Sarton

Amazing play. Especially relevant right now. Probably always is.


There is a great difference between Russians and Americans- yes or no? There is no difference. I will prove it. If the Russians and not the English had come to America, what would they have done? They would have killed all the Indians and taken all the land. See? No difference. Americans and Russians are just the same. But their history is different. What is history? History is geography over time. The geography of America is oceans-therefore no nearby enemies. The geography of Russia is the opposite: flat, broad plains-open invitations to anyone who wants to attack. Mongols, French, Germans, Poles, Turks, Swedes, -anyone. Do you agree with this? Of course you do-it is obviously true.

Quiet, I am being serious. So, what is the history of America? Conquest without competition. What is the history of Russia. Conquest because of competition. How best to be America? Make individual freedom your god. This allows you to attack on many fronts-all along your borders, in fact-and maintain the illusion that you are not attacking at all. You do't even have to call your wars wars. You call them "settling the west."

Dont interrupt. How best to be Russian then? Fight collectively. Know that you are trying to crush those around you. Make control your god, and channel the many wills of the people into one will. Only this will be effective. Only this will defeat your neighbors.

So what is the result of all this history and geography? Why are the Russians and Americans-people who have done the same thing: create and maintain empires-why are now enemies to the death?

We are enemies! Because Americans, who never had to confront themselves as conquerors, are still under the delusion that they are idealists. And Russians, who did have to confront themselves, are under the equally powerful delusion that they are realists. I'm speaking now of those in power. Common Americans and Common Russians share a much simpler delusion: that they are a peace- loving people.

Interesting tale and take on super power negotiations.

While this play was written in the 1980's about US-USSR arms negotiations, it has a timely message about Russian identity in foreign affairs, at the time of the current Ukrainian conflict. Besides, the author, Lee Blessing taught me to play Scrabble.

Short book about two diplomats from different countries tries and their conversations about their role in the scheme of things. I liked it.

Humorous true account of walking the Appalachian Trail. Bill Bryson tells of the interesting people he meets.

An interesting play. It is two negotiators for the Russian/American arms race. They really make you think about just what are they there for. Do the politicians really want peace and what would that mean in a treaty? Does an arms treaty really have any meaning when each side continually makes and researches new weapons? So they destroy thousands of obs9olete missiles. Does that really mean anything or is it all about saving face and power? Some serious points are brought up by the two negotiators as they take periodic walks in the Swiss woods over the months, even years, that they are negotiating. One finally retires when he no longer has any hope or fun from stalling. The other says he will stay on because he still is an idealist and has hope. This was produced back in 1988 and, sadly, you can see that nothing has changed. the writing in here is correct. Arms negotiations are just a façade to keep the populace happy. Not sure if that should make me angry, sad, or both.

What if Waiting For Godot was a straightforward play about nuclear arms treaty discussions between two negotiators? Very funny, existential, while keeping things grounded in the absurdity of real life and the conflicting wills of the nuclear weapon discussion as well as regular politics. It's the "sausage being made" part of of the Bismarck quote.

All talk but a great read. It all depends on how good your two actors are.

Brilliant. I'm a cold war historian (not professionally) so the scope of the story was fascinating to me, but I also found many delights in the ideas and revelations about friendship, and work, psychology, and hope. A splendid audio performance by Alfred Molina and Steven Weber.

I just re-read this script over the holiday and may do so every year. This play works on so many levels. The thing I took away from this reading is how important it is for humans, as political agents, to preserve the illusion of self-definition, even to the extent this preservation becomes the primary obstacle to resolving a conflict that threatens their existence.

The illustration of Cold-War calculated intransigence presented as negotiation towards peace beyond detente reflected for me the current state of American legislative politics.

I wonder how much of the current American cultural psychology is a remnant of our collective distrust towards the Soviet Union, turned within with the destruction of the USSR and the end of the Cold War, as paranoid concern for the ideological enemies we see in our fellow citizens.

This play rings true today in a world of cable news demagogues and a political system ground to a halt due to the insistence that compromise is defeat.