Dr. W. George Krasnow, President of Russian American Goodwill Association: An Interview with Larissa Glad, Special Correspondent of the VOA's Russian Language Service (a synopsis in English).

Q: What is the exact Russian name of the organization you founded, the Russian American Goodwill Association (RAGA)?

A: We are a brand new association of patriotic and informed American citizens interested in friendship with Russia. Although we are full of Good Will toward Russia, we did not decide yet on the Russian name. Perhaps, it is best translated as Assotsiatsiia Dobroi Voli mezhdu Rossiei i Amerikoi.

Q: What are the goals of your association?

A: Our main mission is the development and cultivation of mutual understanding and friendship between our two great nations on the basis of mutual goodwill and common interests. We take seriously the concept of strategic partnership that U.S. and Russian governments have proclaimed, but so far failed to follow through. We are convinced that such a partnership is in the national interests of the United States. It is a cornerstone in the foundation of peace, freedom and prosperity for the whole world on the eve of the 21st century. We realize that our mission cannot be accomplished unless negative stereotyping of Russia and the Russians in the American mass media is countered. That means, RAGA has educational goals as well. We want the American public to have a more balanced, fair, and objective view of Russia.

Q: How do you want to achieve your goals? By what methods?

A: You can judge it by what we have done so far. We wrote an Open Letter to President Clinton asking for a revision of the current flawed policy toward Russia, especially in the field of economic cooperation. We forwarded that letter to IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus, insisting that IMF negotiators be more attentive to Russian needs. We published a Welcome Primakov advertisement in The Washington Post appealing for a more constructive dialogue with his government. Unfortunately, his visit was aborted by the U.S.-led NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. Although we did not found RAGA as an antiwar organization, several RAGA supporters took part in antiwar demonstrations at the White House as private citizens. It is tragic that the air war against Serbia has become the main obstacle to better relations with Russia. And the need for RAGA is so much greater.

Q: You have mentioned the "flaws" in American policy and mass media. But, even according to Russian newspapers, there is much corruption in Russia. Doesn't RAGA aim at fighting corruption in Russia?

A: We are not naive. Several RAGA members have extensive business experience in Russia. But we are an American organization, and we do not wish to meddle in Russia's domestic affairs. We had better watch that the Americans do not participate in or contriubute to that corruption.

Q: You hailed greeted Primakov as a reformer, but the media treats him as a holdover of the past.

A: It is up to the Russians to define "reforms." We should not presume that we know better what the Russians need. Primakov certainly tries hard to implement considerable changes compared to his predecessors who created an oligarchic monopoly while U.S. government praised them as "true free-market reformers."

Q: What are RAGA's immediate plans?

A: As an association, we are still in the formative stages. We have just created our new website: www.raga.org. Our urgent task to keep this webside "fresh." I have heard that there are more than a million Internet users in Russia. I would like to invite everyone to visit our website. So far we have posted materials only in English. Although we are primarily American organization, we welcome participation of all global citizens, especially, from Russia. The interview was broadcast over the weekend April 17-18.