Who lost Russia? This question remains hotly debated in media and policy circles across the West. The question seems to presuppose, not only that Russia was lost, but also that if someone in America’s government, the IMF, or EU headquarters had been paying more attention or had devoted more resources towards helping Russia’s government, the results would have been better. But hardly anyone today thinks the West should have been putting more money into Russia, or even that it should have been helping Yeltsin, and now Putin, to a greater extent than it has been.
Who lost Russia? This question remains hotly debated in media and policy circles across the West. The question seems to presuppose, not only that Russia was lost, but also that if someone in America’s government, the IMF, or EU headquarters had been paying more attention or had devoted more resources towards helping Russia’s government, the results would have been better. But hardly anyone today thinks the West should have been putting more money into Russia, or even that it should have been helping Yeltsin, and now Putin, to a greater extent than it has been.