Ten years later, the United States must recognize the peril of what has replaced the Iron Curtain: a black hole that sucks in billions of dollars in loans, grants, training and technical assistance which never again see light. Rather than helping to dissipate the legacies of communism, U.S. aid has reinforced the destructive legacies of suspicion, central planning and politicization of the economy.

Janine R. Wedel is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.
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