USAID/Russia Programs Remain Vital Despite Tensions
FrontLines - February 2009
By Ben Barber
Why is USAID still operating in Russia?
That’s a question Mission Director Leon “Skip” Waskin said he is often asked.
“There is a common perception
that Russia is rich, that it has behaved badly, and that it is arguably not a friend of the United States,” said Waskin in an interview during a visit to Washington Jan. 9.
He answers such questions with a big-picture view of the world: “It’s in our interest to be in Russia—our bilateral relationship
with Russia is our most important one in the world. And the USAID program is a major part of that relationship.”
“A poor and unstable Russia is not in the interest of the United States. We want a stable, responsible, economically secure Russia serving as a reliable
partner.”
Waskin acknowledges there has been tension in the U.S.-Russian relationship recently, such as U.S. criticism of the Russian incursion into Georgia, and Russian opposition to NATO expansion into the former Soviet Bloc.
But he says those tensions remain at the federal level; many provincial or regional Russian leaders are eager for U.S. programs
on rule of law, tuberculosis
(TB), HIV/AIDS, youth, and other issues.
The level of USAID funding for Russia is expected to continue
at its current level (roughly$60 million) into the near future, said Waskin. He called it a small sum for such a vast country, but said he hopes to double that with contributions from Russian local government, civil society, corporations,
and foundations.
Russia is expected to announce soon that it will no longer accept what it calls “technical
assistance,” and instead only allow “cooperation,” said Waskin. The USAID program is focused on three “Cs”:
- cooperation with Russia on transnational issues such as AIDS, TB, anti-money laundering,
and climate change; and on avowed priorities of the Russian government such as strengthening
respect for the rule of law;
- challenging Russia in areas such as human rights and political
processes; and
- catalyzing Russia to increase resources for health and other social needs.
Waskin noted that Russian spending on AIDS jumped from $5 million in 2004 to $400 million
in 2008 in part “because of U.S. work with them.”
One example of the friendly reception to U.S. programs at the regional level came when the president of the autonomous republic of Buryatia expressed interest in using the resources of his regional government to support
USAID models and projects in areas such as protecting the environment, fighting tuberculosis,
and assisting vulnerable children
and youth. “He said, ‘I like your programs, and I’ll pay for them,’” said Waskin.
USAID’s Russia mission already has a successful partnership
with another region, Krasnoyarsk, that is supporting USAID projects in civil society, improving municipal governance, and health.
The mission has 84 Russian Foreign Service Nationals and 14 U.S. Foreign Service Officers (FSOs). Three more FSOs are expected under the Development Leadership Initiative.
The recent market collapse, drop in fuel prices, loss of value of the ruble, and other economic setbacks are taking a toll on the Russian economy, Waskin said.
But Russia was becoming wealthy in recent years, and its foreign ministry has been working with USAID to revive a Russian foreign aid program that once built dams and power plants across the developing world in the 1970s. USAID continues to help Russia develop its own bilateral donor program which “will be one of our most important legacies,” said Waskin.
★ - B.B.
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