A fascinating and prescient 1994 memo from, E. Wayne Merry, chief political analyst at the US embassy in Moscow.
A fascinating and prescient 1994 memo from, E. Wayne Merry, chief political analyst at the US embassy in Moscow.
nsarchive.gwu.edu
The Long Telegram of the 1990s: “Whose Russia Is It Anyway? Toward a Policy of Benign Respect” | National Security Archive
Worth reading both his cover note and the original memo, now declassified, in full.
The most interesting aspect of this whole affair was the crucial role played by the Treasury. They were running the American effort in Russia, and would not listen to career foreign service officers' critique of their policy. When Merry wrote a critical memo, it was squashed by the Treasury: "it would give Larry Summers a heart attack."