#8
Literaturnaya Gazeta
No. 4
January 31-February 5, 2002
LOBBYISTS FOR THEIR FATHERLAND
An interview with Eduard Lozinsky about prospects of Russia-US cooperation
Author: Interviewed by Nadezhda Gorlova

THE LOBBYISTS IN FAVOR OF RUSSIA WANT RUSSIA AND THE UNITED STATES TO CO-EXIST PEACEFULLY, BUT THERE ARE MANY ENCUMBERING FACTORS. EDUARD LOZINSKY, FORMER SOVIET DISSIDENT, SAYS HE HAS ALWAYS HELD TO THE CREED THAT RUSSIA MUST BECOME A PART OF THE FREE WORLD.

Eduard Lozansky heads the American University in Moscow, the Russia House in Washington and the Continent Media Group. All his adult life, he has been fighting the Soviet regime; and over the past few years he has been lobbying for Russia's interests in the US Congress.

Question: What was the start of your problems in Russia?

Lozansky: In 1974 Vladimir Maksimov founded Continent. It was brought to Russia illegally and all those involved, including me, got into the deep trouble. In 1976 I was asked to leave the USSR.

Question: That's it? Were you advised to recover your nerves?

Lozansky: I was the son-in-law of a powerful general, one of those who sent troops into Czechoslovakia. Therefore, I couldn't be sent to prison or a mental asylum; and senior officials decided that it would be better to exile me. I am a physicist by education, I was engaged in serious scientific research, and the dissident activities were not the main cause in my life.

Question: What did you do in the West?

Lozansky: Together with my associates, we founded the Andrei Sakharov Institute and annually held congresses in various cities around the world in order to draw public attention to violations of human rights in the Soviet Union.

Question: Who funded you?

Lozansky: Various organizations, for instance the Adenauer Foundation. From the very beginning, Springer was financing Continent. Now we do not receive financial backing from other organizations. When communism collapsed, we were thanked and told: "It's all right, guys. You can do whatever you want now." Now we have learned to work on a business basis.

Question: What was your response to the changes which took place in Russia a decade ago?

Lozansky: We were criticizing the Soviet regime from abroad, calling on people not to believe in the USSR's promises of peace. Then perestroika broke out.

The so-called "Letter of the Ten" was published in Moskovskiye Novosti. Bukovsky wrote it in my kitchen. Then we called Aksenov, Lyubimov, Zinovyev and others. Permission to publish this letter, obtained from the Soviet authorities, marked the start of a very significant process in Russia. The letter caused a great stir. It started a debate, and a devastating article was published in Literaturnaya Gazeta. After that we began to invite people from the Soviet Union to our "meetings." It was sheer impudence, but people started to come to us.

Perestroika and its after-effects were extremely unexpected for the United States. We have had a policy of gradual closing in since that time. However, both parties made many errors; America even made more mistakes, since Russia was an inexperienced student taking its first steps in the world of democracy, while the US was a venerable professor. If a student fails an examination, the professor is also responsible for that.

Question: Do you admit that the movement of dissidents made the system keep constantly on the alert, perfect itself, resist - and thus hampered the natural transition to democracy?

Lozansky: It is hard to say. There was no way to stop us, other than executing us. However, execution by firing squad was out of fashion by that time. Quite naturally, the West was using us to suit its own ends. We were fully aware of this, but did not object to it sharply. We had our own ties with the Soviet regime.

I started to dislike it when I was about 15 or 16. The lack of freedom to travel was the main aversion for me. The Soviet regime made me its implacable enemy when I started my scientific studies and had to attend conferences and meet with my colleagues as part of my job.

Question: Has the West been using you now for its own sake? Not you, probably, but the structures you constitute?

Lozansky: I don't know. In my opinion, our present work, aimed at closer links between Russia and the US, suits the interests of the United States. However, many people in Russia and abroad both do not recognize us. We have always been hard-to-deal-with people. I can say at least that I have never faltered. The conviction that Russia must become a part of the free world has always been my creed. It must stand up for its interests, but in negotiations with friends - not enemies. These are the principles of a different color.

Question: What have you been doing for this now?

Lozansky: We are Russia's lobbyists in the United States. Russia underestimates the significance of having its own lobby group. Poland was looking forward to jointing NATO, and the Polish community in the US rose to that task. They were writing letters to members of congress and senators and kept saying that if you don't support this initiative we will never vote for you, etc. Poland used its own migrant community and also hired lobbying professionals. Once a year we hold a Worldwide Russian forum; and this year submitted "The Ten Commandments of the Russian forum" for consideration to the US Congress and the world community. One-third of the Congress signed this document, which was drawn up in accordance with these "commandments." Should everything the document stated took place, Russia and the United States would become allies. The document was adopted on November 7 and we sent copies of it to Bush and Putin.

Question: What kind of commandments are these?

Lozansky: The first commandment is devoted to a close alliance between Russia and NATO, aimed at Russia's full-fledged membership of this military-political structure. However, NATO has become obsolete. It was aimed at defending the West from communism. But communism no longer exists, and the enmity was mechanically carried over to Russia. This approach is wrong. I understand NATO officials - this is a huge bureaucratic mechanism, high stakes, mansions in Brussels. Of course they do not want to lose their jobs! If one could convince them of a need to change NATO into a different structure and make them understand that they would lose nothing, but Russia would join NATO...

Joint work by Russia, the US and other NATO member states in the installation of a strategic missile defense system is the second commandment.

Question: However, the US has withdrawn from the ABM Treaty, hasn't it?

Lozansky: I think the United States made the right move. The ABM Treaty is a treaty between enemies, a policy of mutual deterrence. The communists were not prepared to cause an apocalypse for the ideas of Marx and Lenin; and therefore it was effective. Now, any state other than Russia may strike first. Thus, missile defense systems are needed, but Russia and the US should develop them together. Russia's ideas in exchange for US funding. The ABM Treaty should be replaced with a treaty providing for mutual security.

The third commandment concerned unfolding a powerful military and reconnaissance grouping for combating terrorism, and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The fourth commandment was related to joint projects and scientific research in space, medicine, ecology and other spheres.

The fifth commandment was about foundation of a full-scale American University in Moscow in compliance with an agreement dated 1992 with President George H. W. Bush.

The sixth commandment has to do with establishing Internet contacts between schools and universities in the US and Russia and researching joint distance education programs.

The seventh is linked with a considerable increase in the scale of cultural and educational exchanges.

The eighth regards support for democratic parties, movements, non-government organizations and mass media.

The ninth commandment is devoted to normalizing the process of issuing U.S. visas for Russia's citizens, since now people are humiliated in the US embassy in Moscow.

Finally, the tenth commandment concerned abolition of laws, discriminating Russia and impeding on bilateral business and trade relations.

Moreover, we have been struggling for restructuring Russia's debt to the West into investments. We think that the USSR's debt hovering over Russia should be reinvested in the business. The fact that Russia's debt to the US - $6 billion will be invested in the projects supposed to provide security of nuclear installations is our first victory. We need to push on Germany, the UK and France in order they do the same.

Question: Could rapprochement between Russia and the US make Russia simply a political appendage and a source of raw materials?

Lozansky: Nobody is calling on Russia to become a "younger brother." We are speaking about equal partnership in specific projects. It is true that the volume of production of Russia's economy is some 5-7% of the US economy, but Russia avails itself with huge potentials of manpower and other kinds of resources. Do the French or the British feel insulted by the fact that the United States has a more powerful economy? Jointly with the US, Russia can resolve serious problems. Now the US has almost accomplished the job - instead of the Russians, since a year ago the Talibs increased their activity in Tajikistan and Chechnya. An attack on extremists should have been made earlier, but Russia would not have coped with it. America has helped Russia to protect its southern borders. Osama bin Laden gave great impetus to rapprochement between our states. We cannot permit ourselves to miss this opportunity.

Question: What further plans do you have?

Lozansky: A large forum will be held in America in April. We want to have a debate about the ABM Treaty there. By the way, presidential adviser Igor Sergeyev supported us - but said that he would not want the Americans to deal in high technologies while Russians are given a hammer and nails because the US does not trust us. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice said that they needed guarantees that Russia would not be selling joint developments to Iran or any other states via the back door. These issues are complicated and we need to hear the opinions of experts.

Question: Do you visit Russia often?

Lozansky: Regularly. We have an apartment here, and my wife does not want to leave Russia at all. I would rather move to Russia also, but my occupation requires my presence in the United States. My work is there, while my soul is here in Russia. (Translated by Andrei Ryabochkin)

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