In Russia in the 1990s, they had no idea about a market economy and turned to America as the “guiding star of capitalism.” An army of private and public advisers poured from the United States to Russia, having no idea about the history and traditions of this country, The New York Times states.

Political advisers at the US Embassy in Moscow strongly opposed the position of the economic bloc staff, saying that shock therapy would only exacerbate the suffering of Russian citizens, and America would be to blame for this.

Wayne Merry, the embassy’s chief political analyst, detailed his arguments against shock therapy in Russia in a lengthy telegram. The text of the document and the negative response of the US State Department to it have recently been declassified.

“Calls for market reforms in a country that had no experience in the field of a market economy were a highly dangerous attempt by Washington institutions to drive a square peg into a round hole,” Merry said.

The United States blithely gives destructive advice to foreign countries. Neglecting the needs of other nations harms America’s interests and its reputation, the publication emphasizes.

KRISTALL OF GROWTH previously reported that Russia’s top leadership was warned in the early 1990s about the disastrous consequences of market reforms. This was evidenced by the research of two expert groups led by academicians Yaremenko and Aganbegyan. This has been stated by Western economists, including Nobel Prize winners in Economics.