An Open Letter on The Russian Crisis

We, a group of scholars, business people, journalists, and friends of Russia, are alarmed over the ongoing crisis in Russia and the deterioration of U.S.-Russia relations.

According to the U.S. News and World Report, "Death is one business that flourishes in the catastrophe that has overtaken Russia. Elderly pensioners dying of starvation no longer make news. .. And the question for the country now is whether it can survive at all as a coherent state, still less as a civilized society. The statistics are staggering. At least 70 percent of Russians live near or below the subsistence level...The decline of Russia in the 1990s is deeper than even the Great Depression in the United States. From 1929 to 1935, American national incomes and gross domestic product fell by a third; in Russia, real per capita incomes are down by as much as 80 percent."

The weakening of the Russian state should give us no reason to gloat over the demise of our former Cold War opponent. On the contrary, if Russia disintegrates we would be faced with an arch of instability, starvation, and armed struggle, stretching from the borders of NATO countries to China, North Korea and the Sea of Japan. Should this happen, with Russia's enormous stockpiles of nuclear weapons and fissionable materials, our present problems in the Middle East, Bosnia and Kosovo would pale in comparison.

We agree with the U.S. News and World Report that Russia's present near-catastrophic predicament is "man-made," and that the U.S. and other Western governments and institution have actively, if inadvertently, participated in its creation. The financial crash of August 17, 1998, was a collapse, not of the reforms that Russia needs and seeks, but of the peculiar course of reforms that the "young reformers" imposed on Russia, with America's advice and encouragement.

We do not wish to exempt the Russians from the main responsibility for their present situation. However, we want the U.S. government to acknowledge that serious mistakes were made in both formulating and implementing our Russia policy.

We join former U.S. Senators Gary Hart and Gordon Humphrey in deploring that "we have handed the U.S. foreign policy mandate to the International Monetary Fund, while all but abandoning unilateral efforts to stimulate Russia's dormant productive capacity." We too wish to summon "America's vision and creative spirit" to assist Russia in her efforts to extricate itself from the dangerous situation in which it landed on the advice of U.S. officials. (The Washington Post, February 11)

We agree with Katrina vanden Heuvel and Stephen F. Cohen that a new policy toward Russia is urgently needed. It should be "based on a very different principle--not the intrusive, ideological conditions imposed by US and IMF officials, but...by letting Russians, not our State and Treasury Departments, decide what constitutes reform in Russia." Instead of trying to transform Russia into a replica of America, the United States should support "any Russian government that promotes the well-being of ordinary citizens without abrogating the still fragile process of democratization." (The Nation, January 11-18).

Unfortunately, the U. S. government has shown no willingness to acknowledge the obvious failure of its Russia policy. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright continues to nudge Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov to the same course of "reforms" that, under his predecessors, brought Russia to the brink of disaster. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin continues to cajole the Russians to accept the dictates of the IMF--or else. Both the IMF and the U.S. government have remained deaf to any other proposals for economic reforms in Russia, including those advocated by prominent Nobel Prize winning American economists.

IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus continues to refuse Russia desperately needed loans "unless the government overcomes internal resistance to market reforms." The trouble is that the catch word "market reforms" has become anathema for the majority of the Russians whose incomes have plummeted under the "reformist" oligarchic rule, for which the IMF is partially responsible. And what about democracy? After all, Primakov's is the first government since 1993 that is built on a consensus with the Duma and that enjoys the support of nearly all political forces.

We are convinced that making our aid conditional upon the Russian government's support for U.S. policy, be it on Iraq, Kosovo, or NATO, must seem humiliating to the Russians. It is also unwarranted, as even our NATO allies sometimes disagree with us on vital issues. We should respect the right of Russia to conduct her own foreign policy based on her national interests. * We appeal to the U.S. Government to re-invent its policy toward Russia. Stop encouraging the intransigence of the IMF. Give a clear signal that we are ready to cooperate with Primakov's government in rooting out the oligarchy and the corruption it breeds. Instruct the FBI to work with Russian authorities in preventing the illicit capital flight from Russia.

* We appeal to the U.S. Congress to exercise its oversight duty over U.S. foreign policy with greater vigor and rigor. Don't fall into the trap of "the weaker Russia, the better for us." Russia is already weak way beyond what is good for U.S. national security and world peace.

* We appeal to U.S. non-profit organizations working in Russia to open their hearts and minds to all Russians, regardless whether they agree or disagree with us. Advocate the principles of democracy, civil society and free enterprise not just among the self-proclaimed "Westernists" and "reformists," but among all Russians of good will.

* We appeal to the U.S. private sector. Be more creative and imaginative in helping the Russians build a private sector. Don't tolerate the oligarchic monopoly in Russia. Teach Russians to use anti-trust laws. Don't wait for the governments. Do business, ignoring ideological strings.

* We appeal to the American people to show magnanimity to our World War II ally who sacrificed tens of millions of lives to secure our freedom, too. Why should we give a cold shoulder to the people who in 1991 chose freedom and proclaimed the sovereignty of the Russian Federation, thus putting an end to both Communism and the Cold War?

We want the Russian people to know that the American people have not abandoned them in their most difficult times, that "Friends in need are friends indeed."

We as undersigned agree,

John Anderson, Global Emergency Response. Calgary, Canada

Olga Antonov, Russian Language Consultant, The World Bank, Washington, DC

Dirk Bezemer, Economics Department, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands

John Bobkoff, Ph.D., independent writer, Washington, DC

Rodger N. Bolles, Esq., Founder & President of the Russian-American Circle (RAC) and Editor-in-Chief of Dancing Bear

Andrew J. Brown, Ph.D. Candidate ( dissertation on daily life in Kazakhstan), U of California, San Diego

Abraham Brumberg, independent writer, former editor of Problems of Communism, contributor to the Los Angeles Times, Times Literary Supplement, and other periodicals, Chevy Chase, MD

Vasily Charitonov, Russian painter, Washington, DC

Mary Ellen Chatwin, Ph.D., Tbilisi, Georgia

Rachel Dubin, MA Candidate, International Affairs with concentration on Russia, The George Washington U, Washington, DC

Ethel Dunn, Executive Secretary, Highgate Road Social Science Research Station, author of books on Russian anthropology, Berkeley, CA

Colin Farlow, Exeter, UK

James K. Galbraith, Professor, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The U of Texas at Austin and Chair of Economists Allied for Arms Reduction (ECAAR).

Mason Gaffney, Professor of Economics, U of California, Riverside, CA, took part in Duma Parliamentary Hearings on Land Revenues

Neva Goodwin, Co-director, Global Development And Environment Institute

Rev. Dmitry Grigorieff, Professor Emeritus, Georgetown University, Dean Emeritus, St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Washington

Jeff Groton, Director, St. Petersburg International Children's Health Project, Doctors of the World USA, St. Petersburg, Russia

Adrian A. Helleman, Ph.D., Faculty of Philosophy, Moscow State U, a Canadian citizen teaching in Russia.

Dr. Michael Hudson, President, Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends (ISLET), author of numerous trade books on U. S. - Russian relations.

Gabriel Hughes, Research Staff (Eastern Europe), Department of Economics, U of London (Wye College), UK

Michael D. Intriligator, Professor of Economics, Political Science, and Policy Studies, UCLA and Vice Chair of Economists Allied for Arms Reduction (ECAAR)

Seppo Isotalo, Professor, Social Politics, University of Helsinki, Finland

Richard D. Jacobs, President and CEO of Newstar, Inc., an international investment and advisory company with offices in Washington, D.C. and Moscow.

Andrew Jameson, Chair, Russian Committee, All Languages and Professional Development, Lancaster, UK

C. William Kauffman, Professor, Dept. of Aerospace Engineering, U of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Gary Kern, independent writer on Russian affairs, Grand Terrace, CA

Nomeda Repsyte Kildsig, postgraduate student, U of Copenhagen, Denmark

Sara Frederick Knizhnik, graduate student, Monterey Institute of International Studies, Monterey, CA

Philip L. Kohl, Professor of Anthropology, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA

Boris Kornilov, Managing Director, European Foundation for Assistance to Enrepreneurship in Russia, Arlington, VA and Moscow

Larisa A. Koval, Senior Analyst, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Washington, DC

Dr. W. George Krasnow (aka author Vladislav Krasnov), former professor, Monterey Institute of International Studies, President of Russian American Goodwill Associates (RAGA), Washington, DC

Vladimir Kuznetsov, Senior Associate, JSI, Inc, Washington, DC.

David E. Leventhal, science educator, St. Louis, MO Dr. Dmitry Levitsky, independent writer for a Russian language New York newspaper, Arlington, VA

Rida von Lulsdorff, Operation Helping Hand, Middleburg, VA

William M. Mandel, Hoover Institution Fellow in 1947, Soviet-affairs scholar for fifty-nine years, taught at five universities, the author of five books, Berkeley, California

Bruce McClelland, Ph.D. Candidate, U of Virginia, former Director of USIA/ IREX sponsored Internet Access Training Program for Russia and the CIS

Alex McDonough, new student at the U of Michigan, Las Vegas, NV

David W. McFadden, Associate Professor of History, Director of Russian and East European Studies, Fairfield U, Fairfield, CT; Fulbright Scholar at Hertzen U, St. Petersburg, Russia

Tatiana Metodieva, MA, Slavic Philology, U of Sofia, Bulgaria; worked in the former Soviet Union; now Administrative Manager of an international non-profit organization, Washington, DC

Yola Monakhova, Freelance Photographer, New York and Moscow

Dr. Manuel F. Montes, Senior Fellow, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii Kessinee Ngaohirunpat, Thailand

Andrei Nikitchyuk, an aerospace engineer and translator, Senior Consultant, Russian American Goodwill Associates (RAGA), Herndon, Virginia

Erin Nikitchyuk, a software engineer, Program Manager, RAGA, Herndon, Virginia

Ron Olive, independent thinker, Amherst, NH

Yuri Olkhovsky, Professorial Lecturer, The George Washington University

John M. Oshust, ret. Chemistry Teacher, Snug Hollow Farm, lived in Magnitogorsk, Russia and adopted a son from an orphanage there.

Diane Pearson, M.Ed., Baker School District Library Director, Baker City, OR

Catine E. Perkins, farmer from Bastrop, TX, member of The Transnational Institute (now The Vladimir Soloviev Society), Moscow

Joseph Pickett, Returning Peace Corps Volunteer, Perm, Russia

Marshall Pomer President, Macroeconomic Policy Institute; American Coordinator of Economic Transition Group; Co-editor, Rebuilding Russia: A Balanced Approach to Economic Transition, World Scientific, 1999.

Dr. Ronald R. Pope, Associate Professor of Russian Politics, Illinois State University; President, SerendipityRussian Consulting & Development, Ltd.

Dianne Post, Attorney, Gender Specialist, working in Russia

Dr. Thomas Porter, History Dept., North Calolina A&T State Uiversity, Greensboro, NC

Rt. Rev. Wassily Rodzianko, Bishop (ret.) of Washington and San Francisco, The Orthodox Church in America

William G. Rosenberg, Alfred G. Meyer Professor of History, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Natalia Roudakova, Doctoral Student, Cultural and Social Anthropology, Stanford University, CA

S. M. Ruben, MD, MPH, Director of Medical Projects, CISDF

Just Rugel, Director of Hrast Ltd., Ljubljana, Slovenia, now in Moscow, Russia

Martin Ryle, Editor of H-RUSSIA, University of Richmond, VA

Konstantin Savin, Ph.D. student in Economics, Georgetown University

Michele Anderson Schmidt, Doctoral Candidate, U. S. diplomatic history, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO

Olga Shevchenko, Graduate Student, Sociology Department, U of Pennsylvania

John Simmons, Ph.D., President, Participation Associates, Chicago, Illinois

D. V. Skor-Skorobogatsh (PE), Business Consultant, aeronautical engineer and translator for NASA/Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

Wendell W. Solomons, economist and author of July 1992 report World Bank warning of catastrophe if privatization was nor supported by development of commercial law and tax base in Russia. Colombo, Sri Lanka

Kamaljit Sood, publisher of scholarly books WPC/Anthem Press, London, UK

Nathan Stowell, Commercial Director, ACI Industries International Corporation, Moscow Representative Office

Olga Sudnitsin, aeronautical and mechanical engineer, Brisbane, Australia

Surasak Surinphong, Thailand

David Swann, a physician, member of Physicians for Global Survival, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Isaak J. Tarasulo, Director of the Bethesda Institute for Russian Studies, editor of two books on Gorbachev's Russia.

Clive Tempest, Head of the School of Politics, University of the West of England, UK.

Walter C. Uhler, Chief of Financial Services at the Defense Contract Management Command of the Defense Logistics Agency, Philadelphia, PA; active in the American People Ambassador Program, will lead a delegation of U.S. defense analysts to Russia.

Michael Urban, Professor of Politics, University of California at Santa Cruz, CA

Dmitri Glinski Vassiliev, Research Associate at the George Washington University, Washington, DC

Tony Vickers, Chief Executive, Henry George Foundation of Great Britain, UK

Larissa Wagen, New York Representative, ISI Emerging Markets, New York City, New York

Jason Wallace, Clemson University

Andrew Wandel, PhD Student, The University of Queensland, Australia

Janine R. Wedel, Associate Research Professor, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University

Thomas E. Weiskopf, Professor of Economics, Director, Residential College, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Susan Weissman, Associate professor, Dept. of Politics, St. Mary's College of California, Producer/anchor Beneath The Surface, KPFK-Los Angeles

Dennis Whelan, Director, Center for Russian Law, Visiting Scholar, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH and Moscow, Russia

Heide Whelan, Professor of Russian History, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

Anne Williamson, the author of the forthcoming How America Built the New Russian Oligarchy, who since 1989 has shuttled between Moscow and New York City where she now lives.

Stephen G. Wright, President, The Global Community Project, Inc.; Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins U, Cross-Cultural Management; Visiting Lecturer, Georgetown U, Understanding U.S. Culture and Business Etiquette

Michael Zarechnak, Ph.D. in Slavic Linguistics, Harvard U; Professor Emeritus, Georgetown U, Washington, DC

Geoff Zeiger, high-school student and debater on US-Russia relations, Puyallup HS, WA