PKSCA’s Mission – Sustaining International Friendship and Understanding

By Alan Ellis. What makes PKSCA worth joining, let alone serving on the Association’s Board of Directors? Well, let’s start with the purpose of the organization as stated in the PKSCA Bylaws:

PKSCA’s primary purpose shall be the fostering of international friendship and understanding through cultural and educational exchange and the facilitating of personal, business, and governmental ties between citizens and officials of Portland and Khabarovsk.

That said, perhaps more people would be interested in participating in PKSCA if the purpose included serving as a forum for discussion of controversial issues in both countries—e.g., Ukraine annexation, assault on U.S. Capitol, arrest of Khabarovsk Krai Governor, George Floyd, Navalny poisoning and arrest, Trumpism, nuclear proliferation, environmental degradation, etc. On the other hand, Western nonprofits have been expelled from Russia for less. Watch what you wish for.

While domestic and international political developments are regularly discussed at PKSCA meetings and via e-mail, “political action” has never been the impetus for PKSCA activities and projects. Of course that doesn’t rule out interpretation of our motives otherwise. For instance, PKSCA’s annual “Victory Day” event—or in recent years, “Meeting at the Elbe”—could be construed as “political” based on politicization of the holiday by the Russian government; but the purpose of PKSCA’s celebration of this holiday is exactly the opposite: bridging political differences via commemoration of friendship and cooperation between our two countries during WW II. Another example: PKSCA’s endorsement earlier in the year of a petition appealing to the Biden administration to rescind the Trump administration’s decision to retaliate against Russian “hacking” attacks by closing down the remaining two U.S. consulates in Russia (including the one in Vladivostok, pivotal to securing visas for Khabarovsk exchange participants). Again, our purpose was not “political” but rather to underscore the importance of consulates in facilitating people-to-people travel programs that broaden cultural understanding and “humanize” international relations.

In conclusion, while speaking out on societal prejudices as well as political corruption and ill-conceived governmental policies is both admirable and compelling, there’s a lot to say for sustaining international friendship and understanding — a mission an apolitical PKSCA has been engaged in since Soviet times.