What is to be Done? U.S. Assistance to the Former Soviet Union
Abstract
The cover of the July 16, 1990 edition of Time magazine showed a forlorn Mikhail Gorbachev sitting alone before the Supreme Soviet. The caption read: "Should the West Help Him?" Gorbachev is gone but the question remains and Russian President Boris Yeltsin is struggling to convince everyone that the answer is "yes." The lively debate between supporting the center or the republics has since been overcome by events. When the republics formed the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and declared the Union dead, it was clear with whom the United States would now deal. Some pundits claim the United States spent about $4 trillion for the defense of Europe during the Cold War. That figure is only a fraction of the sum spent to contain the Soviet Union for the past 45 years. It is reasonable for Americans to question continued high defense expenditures in light of a new emerging global politico-military constellation that happens to be void of the "evil empire" that provoked the expensive Western security reaction for the past half century. Why should American taxpayers be called on once again to provide help to the former enemy who swore to bury us? The short answer is that it is in our national interest. This paper examines some of the suggestions for aid to the CIS and judges whether the United States should proceed with them. Possibilities for assistance are legion because the whole system has eroded and is in need. Some proposals focus on near-term humanitarian aid to keep the destitute alive. Others are interested in technical assistance to restructure the economy to convert the Soviet military-industrial complex toward the production of consumer goods, or to safeguard the reduction of nuclear weapons and prevent proliferation of nuclear technology. All of these are worthy goals as the United States and its Western partners attempt to keep the patient comfortable he swallows some very distasteful medicine.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 07, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA437290
Entities
People
- Robert A. Stratton
Organizations
- National War College