The three main areas where my direct advice went unheeded were the following: (1) the need for large -
scale financial assistance [29] for Russia, which I deemed (and still deem) to have been essential to molding a political consensus around reforms, and to bolstering the financial situation enough to achieve a modicum of success in the fight against hyperinflation; (2) the need for strong monetary and fiscal policy to achieve a
rapid end to inflation [30]; and (3) the urgency of establishing a
social safety net [31], especially in health care and pensions, to ensure an adequate
social and political base for societal transformation and democratization.
Nevertheless, it takes seriously the developments in critical Bible studies, the new insights gained from the
social sciences of cultural anthropology and sociology, the impact of technology and political theory in
rapid cultural change and the issues raised by cross-cultural communication on a global
scale.