Jacob Heilbrun

American policy toward Russia in the 1990s has been marked by unwavering support of Russian president Boris Yeltsin, argues Jacob Heilbrun in the following viewpoint, and has failed dismally to achieve its ambitious objective of turning Russia into a cooperative partner. Billions of dollars of U.S. monetary aid to Russia have been lost to corruption, he asserts, while an anti-American backlash has risen among Russia’s people, who associate the United States with the unpopular Yeltsin regime. In addition, Russia has pursued several foreign policy initiatives that run counter to U.S. interests. Heilbrun recommends that the United States give up all pretense of a strategic partnership with the Russian Federation and withhold foreign assistance unless Russia undergoes genuine democratic reforms. America might even need...