DOC Failed Crusade: America and the Tragedy of Post-Communist Russia by Stephen F. Cohen Ph.D. in History

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great SummaryBy Terrence CrimminsCogent arguments; backed up by statistics. This book is a must read for anyone who really wants to understand America's foreign policy relationship with Russia.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy CustomerBook in good condition; okay read.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Some good points but accusatory focus gets a bit tiresomeBy faringtonThere's been a lot of commentary on the failures of the economic "shock therapy" attempted in Russia in the '90s. I share Cohen's view that it was a disaster. But that doesn't mean I enjoyed this book. It's less about economics and more about moral turpitude: Cohen delivers a scandalized recounting of how everyone in the West (except him; I guess) was deluded by the notion that Russia should be remade in the image of the U.S. for no reason other than American exceptionalism and triumphalism. The real focus of the book is not on why policies failed (that they failed; and were destined to fail; is taken almost as a given); instead it's an account of the folly of U.S. policymakers and media figures in going along with them. What you get is a pretty repetitive narrative which quickly turns to monotonous harping on the shameful attitude of the West in its treatment of Russia.Cohen pauses from this; at least for a little while; to offer some proposals for fixing the situation. Basically he calls for a Marshall Plan/New Deal for Russia; with the bill footed by the U.S. Some of his proposals would be anathema to his hated IMF/World Bank: in particular; the renationalization of certain industries and forgiveness of debt. But interestingly; some of his recommendations are straight from the IMF/World Bank playbook: improved regulation of the banking sector; development of small-to-medium enterprises; and stemming capital flight. But he should know that a lot of what he proposes is more easily proposed than achieved: attempts by the Central Bank of Russia to crack down on insolvent banks resulted in the assassination of the CBR's chairman in 2006 by the owners of one of those banks. And the Russian government has been mostly uninterested in developing small business; preferring to focus on big players in big industries; like Gazprom.That's another issue I have with Cohen's book: while being okay as far as it goes; it doesn't address a lot of the homegrown Russian factors that contributed to the economic disaster of the `90s. He says we should "let Russians be Russians" (quoting George Kennan) without acknowledging the corruption and crime which Russian elites have managed to perfect without the assistance of crusading Westerners. I dare say that the reason government officials are more interested in large industries than small and medium enterprises is that their take from industry kickbacks is more lucrative.Ultimately; I may be more cynical about the West's intentions than Cohen: my view is that the "American way" was being pushed on Russia; not as part of an ideological "crusade"; but in order to create a suitable environment for Western businesses so they could invade the place; set up shop; get a competitive advantage over Russian businesses; and profit from Russia's "new frontier".Anyway; Cohen is on the mark on a number of points; but I found his emphasis on moral indignation at the "crusade" of the West to be tiresome after a while; and not very informative.