#8
Moscow News
May 15-21, 2002
Good Intentions at Russian Forum
By Ilya Baranikas
The World Russian Forum was anything but a dull meeting.
Most of the speakers there had something important to say

U.S. Lawmakers Line Up

It is not often one can see members of both houses of Congress attend a gathering sponsored by Russians and dedicated to Russia. None other than the House Speaker himself came to address the Russian Forum. Dennis Hastert was one of the dozen or so federal legislators who attended the forum, which took place in the Senate Dirksen Office Building. The legislators were supposed to be the first to take the floor. But on several occasions, a congressman entered the hall only to find the rostrum already occupied by a senator, and had to wait for his turn anyway.

Clinton Lashed, Putin and Bush Extolled

Most of the lawmakers who came were Republicans. Why? Probably because the Democrats were scared of coming under fire - the forum had heard a great deal of criticism targeted at Bill Clintons Democratic administration.

Some speakers had pointed to connivance between Yeltsin and the Clinton administration, alleging that America had been giving material aid to the wrong quarters in Russia, turning a blind eye to the plunder going on there.

"Is it surprising, then, that anti-American sentiments prevail in Russia?" Republican Congressman Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania asked rhetorically. He is the chief initiator of the U.S.-Russia rapprochement.

The Russians are better disposed toward Americans today thanks to the joint efforts of the Kremlin and the White House, many speakers at the forum pointed out. Dennis Hastert, for one, argued that the turn for the better in relations between the United States and Russia was one of the great changes on the world arena, and had had a positive impact on the entire system of international relations.

Not Everyone in Russia Dislikes Americans

Curiously, Russian speakers who insisted that anti-Western and anti-American sentiment had been growing in Russia were refuted by some Americans who had first-hand knowledge of the mood in this country.

One American lady who attended the forum works with the Khanty-Mansiysk Oil Company. She said that she and other Americans were well treated in the Siberian hinterland. Another American delegate cited his pleasant experience of communicating with Russians in the city of Irkutsk [Siberia]; a third, who had had occasion to work in Ryazan [in western Russia], said he was sure he had not come across xenophobia.

It seems that in the provinces people are indeed friendlier than in the former imperial capitals.

Russia Should Be in NATO

The issue of Russias relationship with NATO is central to Russian-American relations, and to Russias relations with the West in general.

Addressing the forum, William Lind, a representative of the Free Congress Foundation [a conservative political think tank] and a military policy expert, expressed his conviction that NATOs eastward expansion was a move against Russia. "What else could it be directed against?" he asked. "Against a return of Mongolias Golden Horde? Or against the Swiss Empire?"

Another well-known political scientist and veteran journalist, Arnaud de Borchgrave, stated his firm belief that now that NATO expansion was an established fact, Russia must be admitted to that military-political organization. Otherwise Russia would be encouraged to collaborate with China and Islamic countries, including those whose regimes the United States saw as a threat to Western civilization.

He Who Is Not with the West Is with the East

Nearly all the speakers agreed that it was in the Wests interests to promote Russias integration into the Western community as soon as possible. Russia is to join both the WTO and the European Union shortly, and so it must also be made a NATO member in one way or another. Even Republican Senator Richard Lugar shares that view. I say "even" because in an interview he gave to me 16 years ago, he spoke extremely harshly about the Soviet Union.

Moreover, as history professor Alexander Yanov stressed, it is precisely Russias integration into the West - and not just an alliance with America - that we need. Such an alliance is hardly possible right now; there is a time to every purpose.

Eduard Lozanskys Ten Commandments

Military-political cooperation is by no means the only factor in U.S.-Russian relations. The various aspects of the two countries relationship are summed up in the 10 objectives conceived by the World Russian Forums chief architect, Eduard Lozansky, president of Russia House in Washington and of the Continent-USA media group. Those 10 objectives, or the Ten Commandments as Lozansky calls them, are designed to:

1. Bring about a close alliance between Russia and NATO, leading to Russias full membership in that military-political bloc.

2. Facilitate Russias joint work with the United States and other NATO countries to create an anti-missile defense system.

3. Create a powerful military and intelligence grouping to fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, and the proliferation of mass destruction weapons.

4. Draw up joint programs for scientific research in the fields of space exploration, medicine, ecology, etc.

5. Expand the American University in Moscow.

6. Foster ties between American and Russian educational establishments, and jointly elaborate distance learning programs.

7. Broaden the scope of cultural and educational exchanges to a significant degree.

8. Support democratic parties, movements, nongovernmental organizations, and the media.

9. Normalize the process of issuing American visas to Russian nationals.

10. Abrogate discriminatory laws against Russia that hamper bilateral business and commercial relations.

Senators and Congressmen Back Alliance with Russia

Those "Ten Commandments" largely repeat the substance of a document signed by 142 congressmen, including the chairmen of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Joseph Biden) and the House International Relations Committee (Henry Hyde). It has also been signed by Senate Defense Committee Chairman Carl Levin, and numerous other people in high places.

Most unfortunately, though, ordinary mortals tend to break commandments. Take, for example, item No. 9 on the above list: A large group of Russians could not attend the forum because they were denied American visas.

How Far Will Russia Go To Defend Its Own Interests?

There were obviously many more Americans than Russians at the World Russian Forum. One fascinating speaker there was Russias Deputy Minister for the Economy and Trade Mikhail Dmitriev. Another notable Russian was Sergei Generalov, chairman of the State Duma Committee for Investment Policy. St. Petersburgs Deputy Governor Viktor Krotov was there, too, but no one from Russias top leadership came.

One more thing: Russia could probably help volunteers like Lozansky to build a strong lobby that would uphold Russias interests in America. (If Greece and Taiwan do so in a big way, Russia should be able to follow suit). It seems to me that, for Russia, having its own lobby would be more fruitful than pumping millions of dollars into a U.S. public relations firm among whose clients were Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and the Central African Republics man-eating emperor Jean-Bedel Bokassa.

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