The Foreign Service Journal, December 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2016 9 Retired FSO Louis Sell, in “The Rise of the New Russia,” argues that we need to understand how Russians view the col- lapse of the USSR and its aftermath. High expectations followed by missed oppor- tunities and humiliation help explain why Putin and his brand of nationalist politics is popular with Russians. With a pitch for prioritizing economic and commercial diplomacy with Russia and the other former Soviet states, Foreign Commercial Service Officer Michael Lally surveys the economic scene in “Something Happened on the Way to the Market.” And in “Four Centuries andThree Decades of RussianThinking,” former contractor for Embassy Moscow and the INF treaty inspection facility in Votkinsk Justin Lifflander presents themes in Rus- sian thinking today, and their origins, gleaned from living in Russia during the past 30 years. No conversation about Russia today is complete without mention of Ukraine. In “There’s No Going Back ,” WilliamGleason lays out the challenges for Ukraine: a cor- rupt economy, uncertainty about Western support and finally, Vladimir Putin, who does not appear to accept the existence of an independent Ukrainian state. In “Communications Behind the Iron Curtain,” retired Senior FSO Tim Lawson takes us back to 1991 for the dramatic story of the work of the Diplomatic Tele- communications Service during the last days of the USSR. Finally, in a piece for the history books, we bring you “Groundbreaking Diplomacy: An Interview with George Shultz.” In an unpublished October 20 15 conversation with Ambassador (ret.) Jim Goodby, the former Secretary of State offers valuable diplomacy lessons. Remembered as one of our best Secretaries of State—one who trusted and utilized the career Foreign Service— George Shultz shares how he was able to advance and support President Ronald Reagan’s vision and manage difficult but successful arms control negotiations with the Soviets. We have a fantastic book review sec- tion this month featuring Ambassador (ret.) Jack Matlock on the new book by Mikhail Gorbachev, After the Kremlin (the Russian title). This extended review offers a clear-eyed look at why Gorbachev felt betrayed not only by his successor Boris Yeltsin but by Western leaders, as well. FSO Eric Green, director of State’s Rus- sia Office, reviews The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev’s Freedom to Putin’s War by Arkady Ostrovsky and Charles Clover’s Black Wind, White Snow: The Rise of Rus- sia’s New Nationalism , two of the many recent works that plumb the last 25 years in Russia. And in “Reading Russia” we share a guide to some recent Russia book roundups and recommendations. Looking ahead to next month’s double issue, we will offer “Notes to the New Administration” including input and sug- gestions from dozens of Foreign Service members on the critical role of diplomacy today. n LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Understanding Today’s Russia BY SHAWN DORMAN R Shawn Dorman is the editor of The Foreign Service Journal. ussia in Syria, Russia “hack- ing” the U.S. election, Russia in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin looms large. Twenty-five years after the fall of the USSR, with an incoming U.S. administra- tion considering new directions in U.S.- Russian relations, it’s time to talk to the diplomats and experts who have worked this relationship and can offer perspec- tive for today’s policymakers. Five years ago the Journal looked back at how diplomats on the ground under- stood the Soviet Union during the run-up to its dissolution (December 2011 FSJ ) . Here we take a close at Russia today and examine the impact of the past quarter- century on the U.S.-Russia relationship. The focus begins with retired FSO Ray Smith, author of the July 1990 Embassy Moscow cable, “Looking into the Abyss: The Possible Collapse of the Soviet Union and What We Should Be Doing About It,” that foretold the developments that would take the world and most of Washington by surprise more than a year later. In “Understanding Russian Foreign Policy Today,” Smith argues that the wa y forward is for Washington and Moscow to consider and accept as valid the other’s national interests. While Putin’s Russia will continue to be assertive, he says, it is not inherently preda- tory and not all our interests collide. A “normal” relationship with Russia is possible and worth pursuing.