A True Shock? Economist Jeffrey Sachs Reveals Secret at Heart of U.S.-Russian Relations

An interesting theory but... I helped a friend obtain employment in Moscow shortly after the Soviet Union expired. He was sent there to help build a business center in a new hotel being built there by a major American chain. He had grand dreams of helping introduce Russians to the wonders of the free market economy. I warned him to set his sights lower, much lower. There were countless millions in Russia who pined for the days of Stalin, of Soviet strength, and the embrace of a socialist government taking care of all needs. What need had they of freedom and choice when they were quite content allowing others to make choices for them and relieving the average citizen from all of the responsibilities attendant to liberty. Sadly, I was correct. In another case, I had a client, a multinational corporation that had its annual meeting of all their executives around the world. My client returned to tell me how they sat on the Western side of the former Iron Curtain and dreamt of the business opportunities that awaited them on the other side. However, when they tested the waters they discovered there was no infrastructure to support a free market economy. Indeed, Russians clung to the almost religious belief that to purchase a good for one price and sell it for more was a sin. It would, in their estimation, take decades to wait for the present generation of Russians to age and die before radical concepts would be entertained among younger Russians. I fear that concepts such as the one presented in this article fail because they are built on the belief that We have the ability to unilaterally set the course of world diplomacy. Indeed, I could cite countless examples of American diplomatic failures. I'd say American diplomats would be lucky to earn a D-Minus for their efforts.

I'm glad we didn't do a Marshall plan for them. The term 'money pit' comes to mind. Plus, what would we have gotten in return? Vodka? Borscht? Devalued rubles?