And, unfortunately, many Russians believe their ruin was the intention of our policies. This anti-Americanism fills the newspapers. It has definitely become part of their strategic thinking, especially after our attack on Kosovo. Q. You give the clear impression in your book that American foreign policy depends greatly on financial aid to Russia. We are literally supporting corrupt governments around the world.
Aid is just a sophisticated form of bribery.
This billion dollars in cash allowed Yeltsin to pay back wages and pensions, and therefore garner the votes necessary to win re-election. Prior to the spending of that money, Yeltsin's ratings were in the single digits. Yeltsin chose survival. When Kosovo came up, in March 1999, Yeltsin was himself facing impeachment in the Duma, and a concerted effort was underway on the part of Yevgeny Primakov, the prime minister, to expose corruption and certain criminal oligarchs tied to Yeltsin's immediate entourage. Yeltsin needed to get rid of Primakov.