{
  "id": "98-642",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "98-642",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 105188,
      "date": "1998-07-29",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:53:07.928941",
      "title": "Democracy-Building in the New Independent States of the Former Soviet Union: Progress and Implications for U.S. Interests",
      "summary": "Since the end of the Cold War and the advent of independence for the former Soviet republics,\nthese\nnew independent states (NIS) have made varying progress in implementing democratic reforms. \nSome NIS such as Russia appear to be making some progress, a few such as Kyrgyzstan appear to\nbe faltering, and several such as Turkmenistan appear to be making scant progress.\n  Successive U.S. Administrations have fostered democracy-building in the NIS as a primary\nforeign policy objective. Broadly, U.S. policymakers have stressed that the containment policy of\nthe Cold War has been replaced with the policy of engagement and enlargement to increase the\nworld's free market democracies. Democratic NIS are regarded as more likely to conduct peaceful\nforeign policies and to uphold civil and human rights. Also, U.S. trade and business would likely\nbe attracted to democratic NIS where the rule of law is respected. The Administration generally\nadheres to the idea that democracy-building and the creation of market economies can proceed\nsimultaneously in the NIS as the best means to ensure stable reforms. Several U.S. agencies carry\nout democracy-building programs, with the U.S. Agency for International Development playing a\nprominent role. \n  In practice, U.S. democracy-building aid reflects various interests and aid goals and particular\nneeds in an NIS. Cumulative data for FY1992-FY1997 appear to some degree to show that\ndemocracy-building aid has been targeted to NIS that are faltering or making scant progress in order\nto bolster civil society. Democracy-building aid to Belarus, Kazakstan and Uzbekistan has been\naimed at bolstering the growth of NGOs in countries where the political systems are largely\nundemocratic. The Administration has placed some priority on democracy-building in Russia and\nUkraine because of their large populations and territory (and the strategic threat of an unstable,\nnuclear-armed Russia), their geopolitical and cultural connections to Europe, and the view that\ndemocratization in these NIS provides examples to other NIS. Cumulative aid figures for Armenia,\nGeorgia, and Tajikistan reflect a recent shift to some democracy-building aid and efforts to relieve\nhumanitarian suffering related to conflict.\n  Most in Congress have supported aid for democracy-building in the NIS, though there have\nbeen varying concerns about the duration, conditionality, and scope of such aid. Some have urged\nearmarking or otherwise highlighting democracy-building aid for Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine, and\nother NIS, while others have criticized the effectiveness or pertinence of existing democracy-\nbuilding and other NIS aid. Foreign operations appropriations for FY1998 ( P.L.105-118 ) reduced\nthe Administration's request for aid to the NIS to $770 million (from $900 million), but otherwise\ngenerally reflected a shift in program priorities to grassroots democracy-building efforts. \nCongressional debate on the FY1999 NIS aid request appears supportive of the Administration's\nplans for democracy-building programs in the NIS, but less receptive to other NIS programs and\nrequested funding levels.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/98-642",
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      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Appropriations",
    "European Affairs",
    "Foreign Affairs",
    "National Defense"
  ]
}