there is a lot of criticism to yeltsin. again, we avoided worse.e avoided yugoslavia, which could have happened. i agree, there was massive corruption under boris yeltsin especially in the second term, when the oligarchs were ruling the country. these very people who were steering these funds, they convinced yeltsin to have putin protect them. they wanted to protect the oligarchy. with very few exceptions, these people are still around. when we talk about putin's friends, that is great. if you are so lucky to share the same desk as putin in school you are now on the list. the country is owned by very few families. all these people so close to mr. putin, they are fighting for power. it is a fight for survival. that is the only item on his agenda, to stay in power. he will do whatever. he has no other choice. he will do every crime to make sure that he can stay in the kremlin. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, this debate is set. the table is set so to speak. now we will get into the exchange with the debaters on the variety of the topics related t

i mean yeltsin. he was told, no no, we have no agreement with you. we had an agreement with the soviet union. but it's no longer there. you're russia. and so in 1991, poland czechoslovakia, which is still czechoslovakia, became members of nato. and then it was followed later on -- yes, it was. >> i think it was in 1991. you'll find it was later than that. >> it was followed by romania -- >> '98 and 2002. >> well, look. the argument isn't about dates. it's about facts. >> please. >> all right. i may have gotten the date mistaken, but nonetheless -- >> no, it matters. i'm going to explain to you why. >> finally, nato found itself on russia's border. in estonia and in latvia. this is russia's border. now, again you may say but there's nothing dangerous about that. i am telling you, this is -- there's also a cold war mentality, but nato is seen as a threat. and what the russians have said about ukraine rightly or wrongly, is we will not allow nato to be on our border in the southwest. will not allow as america did not allow the missiles, we will not allo

i agree there was massive corruption under boris yeltsin.y were stealing these funds and convinced yelton that they needed putin to protect them. when we talk about putin's friends, if you're so lucky to share the school or be in a class you are now in the fourth fleet. the country is owned by very few families. ironically it's all these people that are so close to mr. putin. they are fighting for power and mrs. how they fight for survival. he will do every crime to stay in power. [applause]. >> the debate is set in the table is set so to speak. we speak. we want to get into an exchange with these debaters on a variety of topics with this subject. since you spoke first i want to start with you and pick up on something and set in her comments. a lot of people are wondering about obama's a reset. the degree to which this administration previously attempted to roll back the policies of the bush administration that were seen as exclusionary russia. it led to crime area and the ukraine. >> first of all it did not. secondly the knowledge of russia

. >> yeltsin and putin or the yeltsin and putin style. think opposition key persons do understand that if we do not implement something it will just come to authoritarianism of a different level. >> they face a hostile state-controlled media and a government that emphasizes top-down authority and trials that they say are politically motivated. the death of boris nemsov was a huge below to their opposition. they have now unified disparate factions and forsaking big-personality politics in favor of fighting smaller local campaign issues. rory challands moscow. >> still ahead on the program. fighting to save treasures of their faith. >>> and a watermark in french-u.s. relations. how this ship is sailing back in history across the atlantic. just because i'm away from my desk doesn't mean i'm not working. comcast business understands that. their wifi isn't just fast near the router. it's fast in the break room. fast in the conference room. fast in tom's office. fast in other tom's office. fast in the foyer [pronounced foy-yer] or is it foyer [

that was given to yeltsin as in the dance like a preliminary report.ussia was not democracy and a great industrial power. china never made the g8 and russia did. how could we attack putin and his democratic values that we could see him being embraced and hugs by sharad. the russian propaganda machine worked to our damage and of course talking about foreign aggression i can't escape ukraine. of course ukraine undermines the authority of nato and the united states and again he was the only way for putin to go because the economy no longer offers him an excuse to stay in power forever. he is now ruler for life and everyone understands it. in georgia in 2008 and now ukraine and let's not forget ukraine has been disarmed by the united states and the united kingdom in 1994 i forcing to -- being forced to sign a memorandum. ukraine had the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world more than u.k. france and china combined. if some of those warheads were aiming at moscow today -- it would have never crossed the border. [applause] it was a signature of bill cli

it was given to yeltsin as an advance. it is was like a reward. not a democracy or an industrial power. and china never made it. and never made it to russia so how can we attack the democratic values and you know. being embraced and by those so russian propaganda would work. and would work that for that. and of course you know. talking about the foreign aggression. you know. i can't escape the ukraine. and undermine. undermines of the nato. and united states. an excuse to stay in power forever. ruling for life. everybody understands it. and needing an aggression as he did in georgia 2008 and now it is ukraine. let's not forget. ukraine has been disarmed by the united states and united kingdom. memorandum. and few people know that the ukraine had the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world. more than u.k. and france and china combined. if someone of the warheads were aiming at moscow. today, so if [applause] that was a signature of bill clinton and under a document that would ends up by the way. disarming nuclear arsenals that is very important.

. >> the three leaders of yeltsin or putin style. the key persons do incline to understand that if we do implement the parliamentary model,. >> belkofski is not optimistic of success. russia's opposition facing east hostile largely state controlled media, a system that has top down authority, and convicted in trials that he says are politically motivated. losing nemtsov was a huge blow for russia's opposition. we are starting to see how they are going to oppose, by forsaking big politics in favor of smaller local campaign issues. rory challands, al jazeera moscow. >> it is said often that u.s. won the cold war but didn't win the peace. lawrence korb is a fellow at the american council for politics. lawrence, thank you so much for being with us. let's look at the trouble from russia in the last year alone in crimea, in the ukraine, and on so many other levels. we don't seem to seem to be having much influence over russia despite the sanctions we imposed. >> i think we do. russia has worked with us on iran, getting equipment in and out

the thing is, i knew that boris yeltsin was now the russian president, and he needed all of the west's focus -- that u.s.-russian relations, you know, are not a casual thing. we have to be working on it all the time. and i knew that it would -- that it wasn't appropriate. and here's an example -- back to what you said about my grandfather's influence. i mulled that over very, very deeply for several days, and then suddenly, i remembered that after my grandfather left the white house, he did not go back to europe for two years because he wanted the kennedy administration to have an opportunity to establish foreign relations with european leaders. i mean, he could have justified going to europe, too. he'd worked with all of those people during the war. but he understood, as a patriotic american, that it was kennedy's show, and he should stay home. and that's what i thought gorbachev should have done. c-span: what do you think of mr. gorbachev? >> guest: well, i think he's actually rather a tragic figure. i think he probably shouldn't worry too much. his place in history is secure. he wil

yeltsin or putin style.pposition are inclined to understand if we don't complement al republican ration we will just come to defeat. >> he is not optimistic of suggestions. besides the clearly demonstrated personal risks, russia's opinionstruction faces hostile, largely-state controlled media, a system of government that will emphasizes top-down authority and leaders like alexi vnali have been convicted of trials politically motiviated. it was clearly al huge blow but it's one that they have no choice but to try and put behind them. we are starting to see the inklings of how they are going to do that by unifying the dispratt factions by foresaying big politics in favor of fighting smaller, local campaign issues. rory challands, al jazeera, moscow. >>> still ahead, forced to leave homes and facing violence whymize grants in south africa are under threat. >>> a watermark in french/u.s. relations. how this ship is sailing back through history. >>> the king of clay versus the world number 1. joe will have the la

because if you remember we had 15 years of very reasonably good relationships with russia under both yeltsint five years of putin's running the show there he leaned toward the west. and we did a lot of things cooperatively and we weren't in this position that we are today where you have russian bombers flying over norway or over the baltics and are close to them and it's almost like we're back where we were for 40 years. so i think if you had a combination of strength resolve, discipline stop the salami slicing of ukraine, and find a way, with our partners to go to the russians and say, hey, look -- this is non-productive for you. it's non-productive for us. here's a way back in to the international community. his political strength at home of course has been enhanced tremendously by the nationalist approach that he's taken. but this reminds you a lot of what happened in the '30s. this is the way hitler went about it. slash here slice there, slice here slice there. don't do anything about it talk about it but don't do anymore. i worry about that. >> when we come back more with james baker. i

russia had not escaped that so boris yeltsin and the ability to understand that we needed an agreement the republic to make sure that we can move into the future. russia was i would not say rewarded but it was engaged from the very beginning. what about the billions and billions of money as yeah i to support russian economy. during the financial collapse i am an alone to help russia to escape. and you know. by the end of russia who was on the verge of recovery. and highs in the year. year 2000. and then putin comes in. and that was probably the greatest mistake ever made. nine years after the collapse of the soviet union and reserved that for those that had ears to hear and along term agenda a and