248 



Van Atta 14 



The governmental breakdown in Russia is not surprising or unexpected. 

 Without party discipline to enforce central orders, and with the increasing 

 importance of market relationships for individual Russians, the government has 

 no way to enforce its decisions. Local authorities have taken the opportunity to 

 establish their own restrictions on commerce, and particulariy on the movement 

 of foodstuffs. Growing local autonomy and variations in policy are not 

 surprising, but they further contribute to the disintegration of central government. 



It seems unlikely that central authority in Russia can be really re 

 established until most citizens see a reason to do so. They will have such a 

 reason only when they have real economic interests which they wish to defend. 

 So the maricet reforms under way are the only real hope to generate a new. 

 competent political system. While that chaotic and extremely painful process Is 

 going on. however, there will continue to be govemmental chaos in the capital 

 and crises of the sort which has just snared president and pariiament. To be 

 effective, therefore. American aid has to avoid much of the central political 

 turmoil, instead concentrating on individuals and voluntary organizations which 

 can rebuild something from the mess. 



Don Van Atta received his Ph.D. In Political Science from UC Berkeley in 

 1964 for a dissertation examining why attempts to reform labor organization on 

 Soviet terms had always failed. He has written widely on Russian and Soviet 

 agriculture. He has also edited a forthcoming collectionltifi 'Farmer Threat': 

 The Political Economy of Agrarian Reform in Post-Soviet Russia (Boulder: 

 Westvlew Press. 1993). 



Van Atta has done extensive field woric in the Russian Federation, as well 

 as living In L^via for six months with his family on a grant from the Intemational 

 Research and Exchanges Board. He is currently conducting a study of 'The 



