1st Edition
Creating the Post-Soviet Russian Market Economy Through American Eyes
This book captures the essence of the period when Russians and Americans collaborated in creating new structures of government and new businesses in completely uncharted conditions. It presents the experiences of key American participants in late Soviet and post-Soviet Russia during a time when Americans thought anything was possible in Russia. Using an analytic framework of foreground ideas (Western, liberal, and neo-liberal) and background forces (Russian cultural influences, nationalism, and lingering Soviet ideology), it examines the ideas and intentions of the people involved. First-person interviews with consultants, businesspeople, and citizen diplomats help capture the essence of this turbulent reform period through the eyes of those who experienced it and present the importance of this experience as a piece of the puzzle in understanding contemporary Russia. It will be an invaluable resource for students of international relations, Russian Studies majors, researchers, and members of the general public who are trying to understand the evolution of the current antagonism between the United States and Russia.
Introduction
1.The Permeable Iron Curtain: Citizen Diplomacy and American Soviet Joint Ventures
2.US Government Aid Programs: Supporting Transition to a Market Economy and Promoting Civil Society
3.Privatization and Capital Markets with an American Twist
4.New Private Sector: Russia Adopts, Adapts and Integrates
5.Russia Turning Away: What Americans Thought, What Americans Misunderstood, and What Remains
Biography
Daniel Satinsky, J.D., M.A.L.D., Consultant, Author, and Associate of Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. He is co-author of Hammer and Silicon – The Soviet Diaspora in the U.S. Innovation Economy. He participated in joint ventures in the Soviet Union and business in Russia until 2014.
"Daniel Satinsky has made an important contribution to one of the great stories of our times – the emergence of Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the nation’s white-knuckle transition of Cold War relics into the institutions of modern democracy and capitalism. Satinsky delivers a thoroughly researched and highly readable account of America’s role in the modernization of Russia, and the extraordinary cast of US academics, bankers, business executives, companies and everyday citizens who played a part. Creating the Post-Soviet Market Economy: Through American Eyes is a deeply compelling read for anyone interested in exploring the real story behind the historical significance and high drama of that time, and for understanding the complicated and fascinating mechanics of modernizing a country."
Boris Jordan, International Businessman, and founder of Renaissance Capital
"I feel that I speak for many in saying that this book is a trip down memory lane. This is a time of mixed emotions for those of us who dedicated our lives to American-Russian relations and while it might be in some ways painful to revisit this period and try to understand what went wrong, a lot did go right. This book helps us put that into perspective. This reflection on such an intense period of change is long overdue. I appreciate the challenge of trying to write on this subject at this particular moment in history, but it is precisely what is needed."
Renee (Stillings) Huhs, Founder of SRAS
"I like the voices presented, and I like the messages. Two stand out. The first is that you give Russians agency; lots of it. This is how it was, but far too many people here ignored that reality. Second, it shows how those of us who engaged with Russian society achieved more than those for whom it was another assignment or some sort of abstraction."
Blair Ruble, Distinguished Scholar, Woodrow Wilson Center.
"This book uniquely captures a foundational period in US relations with post-Soviet Russia. We need to closely study the events, actors, and dynamics that Daniel Satinsky painstakingly chronicles to help understand how we got to where we are today. Hats off for its timely publication."
Trevor Gunn, Adjunct Professor, School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University
