[2013] Cultural Exchange and the Cold War: How the West Won

Cultural Exchange and the Cold War: How the West Won (archived)

There are many theories of why Soviet communism collapsed and the Cold War ended. Here are a few of them to consider:

That is a claim also made by a former Hungarian ambassador to Washington, Andras Simonyi*, who led a rock band in Budapest during the Cold War. In a talk titled “How Rock Music Helped Bring Down the Iron Curtain,” delivered at the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Simonyi said, ”Rock ‘n roll, culturally speaking, was a decisive element in loosening up communist societies and bring them closer to the world of freedom.”

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*Wikipedia-András Simonyi:

He plays guitar in the rock band, The Coalition of the Willing (est.2003) with top rated U.S. guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers) which has Secretary of State Tony Blinken (guitar, vocals) as a regular guest.

Blinken picks up guitar for new US music diplomacy push

Hollywood and left-wing foundations behind climate charity quietly bankrolling extremist protest groups

A little-known climate change advocacy organization heavily funded by celebrities and influential left-leaning foundations has been quietly dishing out grants to various activist groups deploying unorthodox and extremist methods across the world to protest fossil fuels, documents reveal.

Hollywood and left-wing foundations behind climate charity quietly bankrolling extremist protest groups

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Climate Capitalists/Green Capitalism

That Time Ronald Reagan Starred in a World War II Movie Featuring Several Drag Performances

The U.S. military will no longer host drag shows at bases around the world, according to a new report from Associated Press. The news comes following a pressure campaign by Republicans to abolish anything associated with LGBT life during Pride Month. But banning drag isn’t just bigoted. It ignores the long history of drag in the U.S. military that stretches back over 100 years.

That Time Ronald Reagan Starred in a World War II Movie Featuring Several Drag Performances

‘My Country Does Terrible Things’: MMA Fighter Jeff Monson On Why He Renounced US Citizenship

American-born athlete Jeff Monson, known for his skill in a variety of martial arts, renounced his US citizenship earlier this week, having obtained his Russian citizenship in 2018. Sputnik spoke with Monson about the changes in himself and his life through the process of changing from a US citizen to a Russian.

‘My Country Does Terrible Things’: MMA Fighter Jeff Monson On Why He Renounced US Citizenship

Modern art was CIA ‘weapon’

For decades in art circles it was either a rumour or a joke, but now it is confirmed as a fact. The Central Intelligence Agency used American modern art – including the works of such artists as Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko – as a weapon in the Cold War. In the manner of a Renaissance prince – except that it acted secretly – the CIA fostered and promoted American Abstract Expressionist painting around the world for more than 20 years.

Modern art was CIA ‘weapon’