Garry Kasparov's Blog, page 12

After Putin: The Free World Must Act | The Wall Street Journal | November 4, 2022

I’ve been working for a Russia without Putin since 2001. My thoughts in this WSJ symposium on what may come after him, now that Putin’s end is in sharper focus than ever. The world, not just Russia, must be ready to act. https://t.co/qFThPQ10bL

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) November 5, 2022

This article is a reprint. You can read the original at the Wall Street Journal.

By Garry Kasparov

“Some political slogans are unique to authoritarian regimes. Back in 2011, one of our most popular chants in the Russian opposition seemed banal to observers from the free world. “Russia without Putin!” we shouted, at the last massive rallies of the pro-democracy movement I helped to form when I retired from professional chess in 2005.

It wasn’t just a demand. It was a challenge to Russians and the world to visualize a free and prosperous future, a Russia welcomed in the community of civilized nations. It was a challenge we failed to meet.

Those impressive demonstrations were the last days of what I call the vegetarian era of Mr. Putin’s demolition of Russian civil society. Soon it would be time for the red meat of nationalism and for blood in the streets of Moscow.

Russians protest Putin’s return to the presidency, Moscow, Sept. 25, 2011.PHOTO: SERGEI KARPUKHIN/REUTERS

I now live in New York City. Other opposition leaders have been silenced. Boris Nemtsov was gunned down in front of the Kremlin. Alexei Navalny is in a maximum-security prison after surviving a murder attempt by poisoning. Russia is an authoritarian police state, invading its neighbors, committing atrocities and threatening nuclear annihilation. This is Russia with Mr. Putin.

Mr. Putin is facing grave challenges to his grip on power due to his unprovoked war on Ukraine. Eight years after Russia first invaded, the free world has finally applied serious financial and political pressure on Mr. Putin and his cronies and also sanctions that reach the urban centers he has tried to shield from the worst effects of his policies and adventures.

Russia was never obliged to account for the horrors of the Communist era. That mistake should not be repeated.

Many prognosticators prefer to skip over the immediate aftermath of Mr. Putin’s inevitable fall, as if a fairly elected government will magically arise from the fall of a KGB mafia. Russians have few ways to prepare for the glorious day of Mr. Putin’s exit, but the rest of the world must lay the ground and prepare to act boldly to support the creation of a Russian state that is functional in the near term and that will eventually come to represent all of its people.

The many concessions made to Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union led directly to Mr. Putin’s rise after the chaotic, corrupt—but free—interregnum of Boris Yeltsin. But Russia was never obliged to account for the horrors of the Communist era. That mistake should not be repeated.

Mr. Putin’s fall will take place amid the military and economic disasters he created and, regardless of who claims the Kremlin, the free world will have considerable leverage over their survival. Even a nationalist junta, unless it wishes to follow quickly in Putin’s footsteps, will need to reach accords to get the lights back on. These agreements cannot be limited to rhetoric about free elections. They must include reparations to Ukraine and war crimes trials. They must outline plans for a new constitution, with a parliamentary system, and for the independence of Russian regions long exploited by Moscow’s imperial grasp.
Russia after Mr. Putin is as difficult to picture as he intended. Every dictator must appear irreplaceable, to be the lesser evil, the devil we know. But Mr. Putin’s end will come, as much a surprise to him as to anyone else. Let us learn from the past and be ready.

Mr. Kasparov is chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative.”

Meet the Venezuelan dissident trying to save democracy | Politico | November 4, 2022

SCOOP: Venezuelan opposition leader @leopoldolopez told me he is starting a new initiative called the World Liberty Congress with @Kasparov63 and @AlinejadMasih to help dissidents around the world fight back against autocrats. https://t.co/xfKwPiSrB2

— Daniel Lippman (@dlippman) November 4, 2022

This article is a reprint. You can read the original at Politico.

By Daniel Lippman, Matt Berg, and Lawrence Ukenye, with help from Maggie Miller

“As Americans worry about the future of democracy in their country, Venezuelan opposition leader LEOPOLDO LÓPEZ is on a mission to try to save it worldwide.

López, who spent more than four years of his life in solitary confinement after being arrested by the NICOLÁS MADURO regime for leading protests against it in 2014, is starting a new initiative along with Russian opposition leader GARRY KASPAROV and Iranian dissident MASIH ALINEJAD called the World Liberty Congress to gather together like-minded dissidents and democracy advocates to share ideas on how to combat autocratic regimes.

The group of more than 120 leaders and activists from more than 40 countries is meeting for the first time for three days next week — in a city that López asked to not be disclosed for security reasons. (This week a group of young dissidents from Nicaragua were arrested returning from a meeting the group organized in Costa Rica for participating in the event.)

“It’s very shocking, over the past 16 years, there’s been a recession of democracies worldwide back to the 1989 levels of democracies in the world,” he told NatSec Daily, numbers backed up by a recent University of Gothenburg report. And from 2017 to 2021, the number of people who have democratic rights has declined from 3.9 billion to 2.3 billion, according to Oxford’s Our World In Data.

“We have to figure out how we can become more effective in the way that we promote freedom and democracy,” López said.

As autocracies support each other with money and weapons, López believes that democracy advocates have to form a network that will counter that by sharing techniques for grassroots activism, fighting corruption, countering government messaging, and using technology and the financial system to counter autocratic regimes.

The group reflects a fundamental shift in the view among some dissidents and activists that they need to get more organized, and more technologically savvy, in fighting back against autocracies.

It’s still too early to say whether this new initiative will actually make real progress or just be yet another talking shop for activists about democracy, without the pull to truly fend off governments with armies and billions of dollars of natural resources or trade behind them.

López, the former mayor of part of Caracas and founder of the Voluntad Popular opposition party, said he was confident that Venezuela, which used to be Latin America’s most prosperous country but now is its poorest, would be free within his lifetime. López, who now lives in exile in Spain and travels the world advocating for democracy, said his mission for the rest of his life is to try to bring democracy back to his home country.

“What I wake up every day thinking about is not what’s going to be my destiny but what’s going to be the destiny of my country,” he said when asked if he still wanted to be the leader of Venezuela one day.

As the Biden administration explores whether to have any rapprochement with Venezuela to get access to their oil, López cautioned the U.S. to tread lightly.

“Anything that helps the path to democracy and freedom in Venezuela should be supported, and anything that gives Maduro or any dictatorship legitimacy, resources, or support should not be supported,” he said.”

Deep Blue vs Garry Kasparov: 25 Years On | The AI Summit Austin | November 3, 2022

“I’m a sore loser, I admit it. But in my defense, back in 1997 when I lost the rematch to Deep Blue, I didn’t have much practice at it!” https://t.co/xYVPAzEbzY

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) November 3, 2022

Live now! https://t.co/WRB7goyfrI

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) November 3, 2022

Three answers to @chuckmartin’s question “What could be unintended consequences of AI?” from Priya Krishnan, @murraycampbell, and @Kasparov63 at #AISummit.
(1/4) #AIIoTAustin pic.twitter.com/H8s8tOe1mL

— Pavel Soukenik (@pavel_soukenik) November 3, 2022

@Kasparov63 is live on the headline stage at #AIIoTAustin chatting with @chuckmartin and @murraycampbell. pic.twitter.com/Wm6MLVh5bg

— AI Business (@Business_AI) November 3, 2022

At the #AISummit, world champion chess grand master Gary Kasparov is playing against 10 other players. Very cool! pic.twitter.com/GhI0NjCWw7

— Calvin Nieh (@calvinnieh) November 3, 2022

This article is a reprint. You can read the original event description at the AI Summit Austin.

“1997 witnessed a milestone in the age of artificial intelligence when IBM’s supercomputer, Deep Blue, beat the reigning world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, in a well-publicized rematch. It brought both AI and chess to the mainstream.

25 years on, the world has changed significantly, driven by continual advancements in technology. But what have we learned from the rapid development of AI? And what role does it – or should it – play in our society?

Don’t miss this momentous session, where we will reunite Kasparov and IBM for a fireside chat. They’ll be sharing their perspectives on the landmark breakthrough of AI at the time; how far we’ve come over the last 25 years; and what the future could hold for AI.”

 

Kasparov on Ukraine war and the potential for regime change in Russia | Yahoo News | October 31, 2022

We must give #Ukrainian‘s necessary tools to defend and persevere against #Russians who continue to bomb innocent civilians daily. RDI Chairman @Kasparov63 and our ED @UrielEpshtein make the case in this special interview with @YahooSports. Watch Here! https://t.co/BxhNgcxbsY

— Renew Democracy Initiative (@Renew_Democracy) October 31, 2022

This article is a reprint. You can watch the original interview at Yahoo News.

“Garry Kasparov and Uriel Epshtein of the Renew Democracy Initiative join Yahoo News Senior White House Correspondent Alexander Nazaryan for a wide ranging discussion on the next stages of the war in Ukraine and the potential for regime change in Russia. Kasparov, a Russian chess grandmaster and outspoken critic of the Kremlin, shares his thoughts on military aid and why a Ukrainian victory is vital to Russia’s future.

Video Transcript

ALEXANDER NAZARYAN: You believe Ukraine can end will win?

GARRY KASPAROV: Yes, I believe Ukraine create can and will win. I think it’s inevitable. It’s a matter of the cost. And every day of delay of giving Ukraine what it needs to win simply is pushing this cost up.

ALEXANDER NAZARYAN: What I hear you saying is we should be accelerating a pace which we’re sending HIMARS, attack ends, sort of long range–

GARRY KASPAROV: Yes, it’s also important for Russia, because less Russian soldiers will die in this useless war. And it will make the moment of the collapse of Putin regime sort of closer. It’s will not it will not continue this senseless massacre.

URIEL EPSHTEIN: I’ll even offer a specific instance. You mentioned some of the weapons, HIMARS and so forth. Right now Iran has given Russia these drones, as well as long range missiles. Iranian drones are primitive by American standards, right? And yet right now Ukraine doesn’t have a great answer to them, because it doesn’t have the advanced air defense systems that it would require.

What we could do very quickly and easily is give Ukraine unmanned aerial vehicles of our own, which like I said are far more advanced than anything Iran could provide. And if we give them even a couple hundred million dollars worth, that would be enough to close the skies over Kyiv, over Odessa, over much of the populated portions of Ukraine.

ALEXANDER NAZARYAN: But the argument against doing so is that a confrontation– that leads to a direct confrontation between the US and–

GARRY KASPAROV: How come?

URIEL EPSHTEIN: The UAVs were being controlled by Ukrainians.

GARRY KASPAROV: How come? This is– it’s the same thing– what’s the difference between American drones and HIMARS?

ALEXANDER NAZARYAN: Critics Of that specific aid would make the distinction between defensive and offensive weapons.

GARY KASPAROV: It’s defending Ukrainian skies, saving Ukrainian civilians from massacre. It’s all defensive. All this talks about defensive, offensive, it’s absolute nonsense. Everything that helps Ukraine winning the war is defensive. So this is– because lethal weapon is offensive by definition.

ALEXANDER NAZARYAN: Of course.

GARRY KASPAROV: HIMARS is offensive. So it’s all– But it’s still defense, because they’re fighting on Ukrainian land. And again, America could have done much more and still can do more. Because the whole idea of, oh, we should not do this because will go into escalation, escalation comes from it from the other side. And escalation is not a result of deterrence. It’s always result of weakness.

ALEXANDER NAZARYAN: When you have someone like Elon Musk putting out his peace proposal, which obviously the Russians celebrated, how does that corrode the kind of international unity that Ukraine needs at this moment?

GARRY KASPAROV: Let’s not spend too much time debating the impact of Elon Musk “peace proposals,” quote-unquote, in America or in Europe. Let’s just talk about Putin and Putin’s cronies. It emboldens them. It shows that there’s still a chance to destroy the coalition.

There are dissenting voices in the West. And Elon Musk, again, it’s just it’s not just a businessman. This is the richest man in the world, though Putin may argue. So–

ALEXANDER NAZARYAN: [LAUGHS]

GARRY KASPAROV: But it’s with tens of millions of followers on social media, and again, with a lot of political weight and also economic influence. So the fact is that he’s buying Russian propaganda points and suggesting that Ukraine would capitulate. But 86% of Ukrainians still want to fight. That’s the latest poll. So that’s no matter the cost. So it’s very, very damaging for the future of the coalition willing that is trying to stop a modern Hitler.

ALEXANDER NAZARYAN: I want to get your plausibly best and plausibly worst case scenarios in the months ahead for the war.

GARRY KASPAROV: I don’t wonder about the worst because hopefully the worst is behind us. But it doesn’t mean that we should celebrate. So one of the problems is winter. And Putin, by the way, he’s playing his cards. He’s attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, civil infrastructure, it’s unprecedented. He wants to push Ukraine into the Stone Age, so to make sure that the winter would really harsh, no electricity, no heat. This winter is crucial. If this plan fails, I don’t think Russia can continue this war say after April of next year.

ALEXANDER NAZARYAN: Let’s say, April arrives and the everything is going poorly for Russia, at the same time, as you know better than anyone, a dictator is not going to be influenced by political mood or popular discontent. Is there any hope of change in the Kremlin and systemic change?

GARRY KASPAROV: We’re not talking about political mood. We’re talking about military defeat. Military catastrophe. So the Russian army will be beaten badly. And it’s army will go back to Russia. So you have army, angry, beaten, coming back with weapons to Russia. You have a few million refugees. And then you have economic crisis beyond one’s imagination, real crisis. So it’s not just the slowdown of economy. The country will be sliding into economic and financial abyss. If these conditions are not indicators of dramatic change, I don’t know what it is.

So it’s not about Putin making commands and reshuffling the government. It’s the whole country will be falling apart. And then what may happen, and it’s my hope, what I call democracy by default. It’s not that the Russian people will all of a sudden decide to embrace democracy. But when they recognize that the choice is becoming Chinese satellite, a satellite state, or trying to go back to Europe confessing our crimes and also throwing the corrupt fascist regime, I think the choice is fairly easy. And again, who cares you know what Putin thinks and some of his cronies trying to do.”

RuZZia Unmasked: Episode 4 | Poland Ministry of Foreign Affairs | October 31, 2022

It’s an ideology that combines the worst elements of communism, fascism and a total disregard for human life, warns Garry Kasparov @Kasparov63.

Tune in for the next video of the #RuZZiaUnmasked series touching on the kaleidoscope of concepts that shape Russia nowadays.

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs (@PolandMFA) November 2, 2022

Ukraine is leading on values and the rest of the free world must be brave enough to follow. https://t.co/hMuDFWZI51

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) October 31, 2022

You can watch the original video at RuZZia Unmasked, a joint project of the Polish and Lithuanian Ministries of Foreign Affairs.

Virtual Poker Tournament | Alliance for Decision Education | October 27, 2022

Tonight! Join us tonight for the @AllDecisionEd Virtual Poker Tournament! Starts at 6:30PM EST. Still time to register.

Special guests include: @mkonnikova, @Kasparov63 & NFL General Managers Les Snead of @RamsNFL & Andrew Berry of the @Browns!https://t.co/LeeAdFlmfi

— Annie Duke (@AnnieDuke) October 27, 2022

Thank you Garry @Kasparov63 for a great conversation with @AnnieDuke and @mkonnikova at the @AllDecisionEd Virtual Poker Tournament this evening. #DecisionEducation pic.twitter.com/8v8EzNqpUb

— Connie Murphy (@connie_cmurphy) October 27, 2022

You can learn more about the project of the Alliance for Decision Education at their website.

The Only Way to End This War is for Ukraine to be Liberated | CNBC | October 24, 2022

“The cost is huge but Ukraine is paying this cost. So why are people sitting in the comfort of their mansions in Silicon Valley telling Ukraine how to conduct their own affairs,” says @Kasparov63 of @elonmusk. “It’s moral idiocy and geopolitical blindness.” pic.twitter.com/Iz2wnU2uDC

— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) October 24, 2022

In his replies, it appears that in discussing chess, Musk has found something he understands even less than geopolitics. Congratulations. https://t.co/l5CLNG4IvG

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) October 24, 2022

Perhaps Musk can get a guided tour of the torture chambers still active in occupied territory from his new bff Medvedev. Concessions to terrorists lead to terror. https://t.co/gJeypXly6L

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) October 23, 2022

You can watch the original clip at the Squawk Box on CNBC.

Voices of Dissent | Dartmouth Dickey Center for International Understanding | October 20, 2022

The Dickey Center hosted a panel discussion with democracy activists Garry Kasparov and Evan Mawarire. The speakers discussed the importance of active participation in pro-democracy efforts and the dangers of complacency. https://t.co/n6VIIu2viH

— The Dartmouth (@thedartmouth) October 25, 2022

This article is a reprint. You can read the original at The Dartmouth.

By Kent Friel

“On Thursday, Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov and Zimbabwean pastor Evan Mawarire — both pro-democracy activists — appeared as guest speakers in “Voices of Dissent,” a forum presented by the Dickey Center for International Understanding. More than 300 attendees filled the Hanover Inn Grand Ballroom for the event, at which Kasparov and Mawarire spoke about their experiences as advocates for democracy and human rights.

Moderated by Dickey Center director Victoria Holt, the forum took a multimedia approach to link the stories of Kasparov and Mawarire, including showing documentary films that were created in a partnership between the Renew Democracy Initiative — a nonprofit founded by Kasparov — and Dartmouth.

Although the two have spoken together at events hosted by the RDI — where Mawarire serves as director of education — the event brought together their stories in a way that hadn’t been done before, executive director of RDI Uriel Epshtein said.

The forum opened with a documentary that introduced Kasparov, narrating his journey from chess champion to democracy activist. The eight-minute film combined news footage with interview segments, after which Kasparov took the podium onstage, speaking in depth about events shown in the film, including his arrests and his decision to leave Russia in 2013. Following his remarks, Kasparov introduced the next film, which told the story of Mawarire and his role in the 2016-2017 democratic protests in Zimbabwe. After Mawarire took the stage to share a few remarks, the event transitioned to a moderated discussion.

In responding to the audience’s questions, both speakers directed their messages toward college students, stressing the importance of active participation in democracy. Reflecting on his experience in working with regular people who stand up for democracy, Mawarire said that he is continually surprised at the “power that ordinary people do not know that they have.” Although small acts of dissent may not seem consequential, he argued that pro-democracy decisions take courage. Dissidents, Mawarire added, are essential in shaping the future, because “when one generation abdicates their duty, they burden the next generation.”

Although both Mawarire and Kasparov spoke about how American democracy serves a beacon for international dissidents, they also said they feared the results of polarization and abstention from democracy. Mawarire implored the audience to be responsible, adding that there has to be a “reality check as to the alternatives to democracy.” Kasparov stressed the importance of being vigilant and proactive in maintaining American democracy and also noted that the majority rule is not democratic without protection of minorities and a peaceful transfer of power.

When questioned about the future, both speakers remained optimistic that people from their respective home countries would continue to fight for democracy. Asked whether he believed Russia would become democratic, Kasparov said that Russia may arrive at “democracy by default.” Kasparov said that, when faced with “the choice [between] becoming a kind of Chinese colony that supplies natural resources to Beijing, or desperately trying to crawl back to become a member of the family of civilized nations,” Russia sees democracy as the better alternative. In order for that to happen, however, he said that democracies around the world would need to become stronger through domestic and international partnerships, arguing that a league of democracies would be more powerful than the United Nations in promoting human rights and democracy abroad.

Kasparov and Mawarire, however, saw a danger in waning faith in democracy worldwide. The fight for justice, Mawarire said, “cannot be outsourced.” Kasparov added that “nothing happens without taking a risk.” Riskis the necessary price to pay for potential success, Kasparov said.

Rohan Menezes ’23, an international student who was an activist in India before coming to Dartmouth, said he attended the event to learn more about how activists can inspire courage in others. Menezes said that even though he was unfamiliar with Mawarire before the forum, he found the event “extremely, extremely powerful.”

In addition to the evening event, Kasparov and Mawarire met with students and faculty during the day, Holt said.

John Carey, associate dean of the faculty for the social sciences, stressed the danger Kasparov faced in speaking out against Putin in Russia. “Putin’s critics, when they become sufficiently prominent, have a way of turning up dead,” he said.

Dissidents make difficult choices because they don’t like the alternatives, said government professor Yusaku Horiuchi, who added that citizens in repressive regimes have three choices: speak out against the government, leave the country or stay silent.

Both Holt and Epshtein noted the use of documentary video as an important element of the event. Smartypants, a media production company based in New York, produced the two films shown at the event over several months and conducted hours of interviews with Kasparov and Mawarire.

In an interview prior to the event, Mawarire said that “there is a level of engagement with students here that’s quite exciting.”

“Dissent strengthens our collective form of government,” he said. “When we crush dissent, we are stopping ourselves from becoming better at governance.” “

Russian President Vladimir Putin is at War with the ‘Collective West’ | Sky News | October 20, 2022

“The war is about destroying Ukraine – it’s about eliminating as a nation and also replaying the Cold War”
Anything short of the “full liberation” of Ukraine is a “disaster”
“Not just for Ukraine, it’s not just for Europe – for the world”@Kasparov63 https://t.co/wrxOMqRBnv

— Mikhail Khodorkovsky (English) (@mbk_center) October 21, 2022

This article is a reprint. You can watch the original clip of my appearance at Sky News.

“Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov says he thinks President Vladimir Putin is at war with the “collective West”.

“It’s not me saying that – he has been saying it over years, and his propaganda machine keeps repeating it every day now, 24/7,” Mr Kasparov told Sky News Australia host Piers Morgan.

“The war is about destroying Ukraine – it’s about eliminating Ukraine as a nation and also replaying the Cold War.”

Mr Kasparov said anything short of the “full liberation” of Ukraine is a “disaster”.

“Not just for Ukraine, it’s not just for Europe – for the world,” he said.”

Piers Morgan Uncensored: Season 2, Ep. 28 | Piers Morgan Uncensored | October 19, 2022

Full video of my appearance w @piersmorgan last week on Ukraine. I doubt it gets as much attention as Kanye’s, but we have to keep trying! https://t.co/lsfc7IhH7Q

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) October 25, 2022

You can listen to the full show at Piers Morgan Uncensored on Acast.