US-Russia Relations: Take the Long View Let's Consider How Far We Have Come from a Stalinist Economy and a Communist Dictatorship - Not Just How Far We Have to Go

Lee H. Hamilton. Lee H. Hamilton of Indiana is ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee., The Christian Science Monitor

THE trend in Russia lately has not been good: bloody crackdowns in Chechnya, the ascendance of hard-liners to key posts, and the weakening of reform forces. There are many doubts about President Boris Yeltsin's leadership, and a Communist could win the presidency.

Some even claim that Russia is headed back toward authoritarian rule and empire. Yet this view ignores what has gone right in Russia - and exaggerates what has gone wrong.

United States policy toward Russia should be determined, not by bad news, but by our three fundamental interests: economic reform, democratic reform, and military stability. In each of these areas there is good and bad news. One fact …

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Publication information: Article title: US-Russia Relations: Take the Long View Let's Consider How Far We Have Come from a Stalinist Economy and a Communist Dictatorship - Not Just How Far We Have to Go. Contributors: Lee H. Hamilton. Lee H. Hamilton of Indiana is ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee. - Author. Newspaper title: The Christian Science Monitor. Publication date: April 1, 1996. Page number: 19. © 2009 The Christian Science Publishing Society. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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