James Billington, Librarian of Congress and renowned Russian specialist, delivered a major address in Seattle in April at the University of Washington. It was the eighth in a series of Henry M. Jackson Memorial Lectures sponsored by the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, and intended to bring a major national or international figure to the Seattle community.

In his address Billington asserted, "there is both a serious geopolitical necessity and a golden economic opportunity for the United States to put Russia on the front rather than the back burner of its policy agenda." In order to seize the "extraordinary opportunity" for a much closer relationship between Russia and the U.S. than most people have thought possible, Billington proposed two sweeping initiatives:

• bringing a large number (25,000 or more) of young Russians to the U.S. for two-three month periods of "exposure to the rich variety of institutions and regional experiences that make up our continent-wide democracy and particularly our civil society." The model for this proposal was the Marshall Plan, which brought young Germans to the U.S. for what was in effect civic education on a massive scale. This program, Billington noted, consumed only 11/2 % of the total Marshall Plan budget.

• launching "a major joint American-Russian effort to develop the world's last great economic frontier in Siberia."

Said Billington:

If America would appear now not only as a partner in economic development but as a partner and friend in integrating from the beginning ecological considerations with developmental ones, we could set a new model for ourselves and for the world in general. It would have great imaginative appeal for the Russians who have an almost mystical feeling for nature in general and Siberia in particular.

Center for Civil Society International (CCSI) thanks the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for permission to reproduce this speech on our Web site. The speech will be available in print form at the end of June. To request a copy, send an e-mail to: [email protected].

CCSI also invites readers to send us back their comments on the lecture and Dr. Billington's two proposals. For example, do you agree with his view that "large deeds" are required by America at this time, and only "small deeds" have characterized our relations with Russia to date? What is your opinion of his specific proposals?

To send us your opinions, click here. Your comments will be forwarded to Dr. Billington as well as to the Jackson Foundation.

To see the full text of the Billington lecture, please open: "The Nature of the Russian Transformation: The Search for Legitimacy in a Time of Trouble."