The Waging Peace Trilogy Challenge Coin Set

 Part One: In Search of the Russian Soul

This is the original challenge coin—the one that started it all! Built around a 26-day, 12-city tour in support of the publication of Scott Ritter’s book, Disarmament in the Time of Perestroika, in Russia, this coin helped promote the underlying notion of “one handshake at a time”—the idea that every American is a goodwill ambassador who can help repair relations between the United States and Russia simply by taking the time to get to know the Russian people and befriend them “one handshake at a time.” The challenge coin phenomenon began with the issuance of this coin, meant to serve as a token of the author’s appreciation for the friendship and hospitality of the Russian people. Each coin is uniquely numbered and comes with a card containing QR codes that link to updates and exclusive content for supporters of the project. 

Date of the trip: April 30-May 25, 2023

Part Two: Russia’s Road of Redemption

Scott Ritter’s second visit to Russia took him to the heart of Russian culture—Moscow and Saint Petersburg—during the New Year and Christmas season. Here Ritter probed deeper into the history and culture of Russia, especially the role played by the Orthodox Church in helping define Russian identity and spirituality—the Russian “soul.” The author undertook a separate journey on what he called “the Russian Road of Redemption,” an examination of life during wartime, which explored issues of war and peace while visiting Chechnya, Crimea, Novorossiya, and the Donbas. A second challenge coin was issued for this trip, which blended the thematic of the New Year and Christmas season with the overarching theme of waging peace—that each of us is an ambassador of peace whose mission can only be completed when we take the time to try and understand the sources of, and solutions to, conflict.

Date of the trip: December 27, 2023-January 20, 2024

Part Three: The Real Russia

The third and final visit to Russia of the Waging Peace Trilogy finds Scott Ritter, joined by Alexander Ziryanov and Jeff Norman, seeking to dispel the notion that the Russia the West sees in Moscow and Saint Petersburg is different from the rest of the Russian nation. Ritter, Ziryanov, and Norman will take the Ask the Inspector podcast on the road in Russia, visiting 14 cities and interacting with Russian audiences to better inform a Western audience about the reality of Russia, and spread goodwill among the Russian people. A special challenge coin has been produced for this trip which depicts the three hosts of the podcast along with a map of Russia, and the trip’s ambitious goal of discovering the “real Russia” that exists in the vast territory between the Pacific Ocean and Baltic Sea.

Date of the trip: June 5-July 20, 2024

Each coin is engraved with a unique serial number, acknowledging the fact that there is only a limited number of each coin in circulation. While the original intent of the Waging Peace Challenge Coin was to provide a representational token of appreciation from Scott Ritter to the Russian people he met while in Russia, the popularity of the concept was such that some of the coins have been made available for sale to the public, with the proceeds from the sale going to help fund the costs associated with the making of a three-part documentary film, Waging Peace, which covers the three journey’s undertaken by Scott Ritter in his search for the Russian soul and the “real” Russia. Each coin can be bought separately, or as a set.

Coin #1: $40

Coin #2: $50

Coin #3: $50

Set of three coins: $120

Please note: Shipping for this item will begin on June 12, 2024