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Testimony on Russia before the 



House Agriculture Subcoonlttee 



on Foreign Agriculture and Hunger 



Washington, D.C. 

 1 April 1993 



Carol L. Brook Ins 

 President 

 World Perspectives, Inc. 

 Washington, D.C. 



Mr. Chairman, Members of the Coomlttee. I want to thank you for the 

 privilege of appearing before you today to examine agricultural Issues 

 affecting the U.S. relationship with Russia and other Independent 

 states of the former Soviet Union (FSU). 



I am founder and President of World Perspectives, Incorporated — a 

 Washington-based analytical and consulting company that focuses on the 

 political, economic and trade factors affecting agricultural markets 

 and the global food system. World Perspectives works with private and 

 public sector enterprises around the world. Including Russia. I have 

 contributed articles to publications on various aspects of Russia's 

 role in world markets. 



I am not an agricultural economist by training, but an historian. I 

 entered the commodities field at The Chicago Board of Trade in 

 1972 — Just a few months before our grain markets were altered 

 dramatically by the entrance of the Soviet Union as a major cash 

 buyer . 



In fact, the Soviet Union's large and ongoing requirements to import 

 grain and protein over the past twenty years has shaped world 

 markets. That was the "old world order". hk)w we are In a "new world 

 order", where our largest cash buyer has shifted to a credit customer, 

 where that single buyer has now split into 15 separate nations and 

 where we must adjust our policies and thinking to benefit from these 

 vast new opportunities. 



As you proceed with your important review and seek to enact 

 appropriate legislative responses, it is crucial to remember the 

 history of our relationship with the Soviet Union and the vital role 

 that agricultural trade has played In building confidence and mutual 

 benefit. Yes, we were willing to sell grain and other basic foods to 

 our arch enemy when the Soviets' crops were inadequate to meet their 

 consumption needs. We had the goods they needed; and they brought 

 unprecedented market growth to American agriculture. The Soviet 

 Union has paid us more than $30 billion in cash for U.S. agricultural 

 exports since 1972. 



