Aiming for a democratic Russia

The article ``Yeltsin's Little Haitis,'' Sept. 29, raises some interesting yet illogical points. In pointing out Boris Yeltsin's pretensions to the former Soviet nations as Russia's ``sphere of influence,'' the parallel to Haiti and Grenada is used. Haiti and Grenada were never part of the ``American Empire.'' The United States came in on invitation, and has left Grenada, and has every intention of leaving Haiti. Russia came into the nations of the former Soviet Union 350 years ago first as the Russian Empire, then as the Soviet Empire, and to this day has no intention of leaving, as is attested by the various Russian acrobatics at the United Nations, Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and in the US.

Also, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) does not include 12 members, but five at most since most of the former Soviet nations rejected the ``invitation'' to the CIS. The maneuvering of Russia on behalf of the CIS makes the game-plan obvious. Who elected Russia to speak for the entire CIS?

We know that three centuries of Russia nimperialism have wrought conflict, oppression, misery, famine, and death. Let's try freedom, democracy, self-determination, and independence for that part of the country for the same length of time, before we give up. Larissa M. Fontana, Potomac, Md.

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