December 1991 Bush Administration Proposals. Since the attempted
coup in August 1991, the Bush Administration had been perceived by many Members
of Congress as slow to respond to the new wave of events in the Soviet Union. One
possible reason was an anti-foreign policy trend among the U.S. electorate that
expressed itself in the November off-year election campaign for a Senate seat from
Pennsylvania, during which President Bush was heavily criticized for spending too
much of his time on foreign affairs to the detriment of the U.S. economy. The
Administration played little role in development and passage of the Nunn-Lugar
program.
Finally, on December 12, 1991 (four days after creation of the Commonwealth
of Independent States), Secretary of State Baker outlined actions the U.S.
Government would pursue to help safeguard or destroy Soviet weapons, establish
democratic institutions, stabilize the economy,
and overcome dire food and medical
shortages. These included doubling the amount of medical assistance thus far
provided; sending surplus Desert Storm food stocks to regions in particular need;
augmenting ongoing USIA programs; and working with Congress to establish Peace
Corps programs and a $100 million technical assistance program. President Bush
named then-Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger Coordinator for U.S.
assistance efforts toward the FSU. To discuss the division of labor and
responsibilities for assisting the region, he proposed hosting an international donors’
conference in January 1992.