{
  "id": "RL30148",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL30148",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 101831,
      "date": "2002-01-15",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:17:11.636941",
      "title": "U.S. Assistance to the Former Soviet Union 1991-2001: A History of Administration and Congressional Action",
      "summary": "The future of the 12 successor states of the former Soviet Union is a major concern of U.S.\nforeign policy and congressional attention, and the U.S. assistance program has been a major tool for\ninfluencing the direction of that region. This report provides a chronological history of U.S.\nassistance to the Soviet Union and the New Independent States (NIS) to the end of 2001, focusing\non Administration and Congressional actions -- proposals, policy pronouncements, debate, and\nlegislation -- rather than the details of program implementation in the field.\n  During 1991, the thrust of the debate between Congress and the Administration was whether\nand how to assist the Soviet Union as it became increasingly unstable and then headed toward\ndissolution. Chiefly concerned with the effect of the region's instability on its nuclear weapons\nholdings, Congress responded with the Nunn-Lugar legislation. In 1992, the aid debate focused on\nthe FREEDOM Support Act legislative proposal that laid out the basic authorities, conditions, and\nguidelines for a technical assistance program.\n  \n  In 1993, the Clinton Administration proposed several new priorities for the program and a\ndramatic increase in the amount of funding, especially for Russia. In all, the President requested $2.5\nbillion for the region. After considerable debate, Congress approved the request. But, by 1994, a\nmix of concerns regarding the U.S. budget deficit, the unpromising outcome of the December 1993\nRussian parliamentary elections, the Ames spy case, and critical questions about the implementation\nof the assistance program, led to efforts, some successful, to cut funding for the region and alter\nexisting priorities. In 1995, the new Republican majority in the 104th Congress cut funds to the\nregion through a series of rescissions and lowered levels of funding in the annual foreign aid bill. \nRussia was a particular target of these cuts, as well as of conditionality and funding earmarks favoring\nother NIS countries. In 1996, the tone of debate was lower pitched, and Congress adopted aid levels,\nearmarks, and conditions almost identical to those of the previous year.\n  In 1997, responding to the Administration's Partnership for Freedom initiative, Congress\napproved a significant increase in assistance for the NIS. The initiative promised to place greater\nemphasis on grassroots, people-to-people exchanges and partnerships. In 1998, NIS account levels\nwere raised again amid concerns regarding the financial stability of the region in the wake of the\nAugust financial crisis in Russia. In 1999, the approved overall FY2000 funding level was roughly\nthe same as the year before, but a large amount was diverted from traditional economic assistance to\nnonproliferation activities under the Expanded Threat Reduction Initiative. In 2000, criticism of\nRussia's behavior and accusations that the Administration mishandled U.S.-Russian relations\ncontributed to multiple efforts to condition assistance to Russia. In 2001, the need to obtain\ncooperation from former Soviet Union countries in the war on terrorism and what was seen as a very\nforthcoming stance by Russia and critical Central Asian countries led to a re-evaluation of aid\nrelations with them and other front line states.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "encoding": null,
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL30148",
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      ],
      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Affairs",
    "National Defense"
  ]
}