Henry A. Kissinger

From 1969 to 1977 Henry A. Kissinger was the chief foreign policy adviser to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford; he remains an influential foreign affairs analyst and commentator. The following viewpoint was written shortly before Russia’s June 1996 presidential election in which Boris Yeltsin was reelected over challenger Gennady Zyuganov. In it, Kissinger argues that, regardless of the election’s outcome, Russia will inevitably revert to its historical pattern of coping with its domestic problems by aggressively seeking territorial expansion and domination of its neighbors. Kissinger criticizes the foreign policy of the administration of President Bill Clinton for not facing up to Russia’s potentially threatening behavior.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What are some of the flawed premises of the Clinton administration concerning the Cold...