I'm definitely happy modern GOPers weren't running things during the Cold War or we probably wouldn't even exist right now.
On the contrary. One could argue that Bill Clinton's support of Yeltsin's cronyism is what made the word 'Democracy' toxic in Russia for generations paving the way for Putin and vaporized trust in pretty much 'ALL' institutions that were created for economic development and free trade such as the world bank and IMF.
We are on the brink because:
- Clinton and Albright failed to make Russia a Democratic state in the 90's
- The US dismantled Ukraine's unclear arsenal making it vulnerable to attacks
- Obama failed to stop Putin from taking over Crimea (and didn't take action when he did)
When it comes to Russia, Biden is an anomaly among Democrats.
Is Bill Clinton the Jesus of Democracy or something? What kind of moron thought he'd be able to convert Russia, wholesale, to anything in 4-8 years max?
Even in Japan it took way more time than that, and that was considered a miracle for how fast it went!
The idea that Russians hate the very concept of democracy only because BILL CLINTON is some kind of US fragility/self-hate. C'mon now. It's not like everyone in Russia was cheering Gorbachev on as he dismantled the USSR, it was pretty much the opposite. 
It's an interesting history to look into but the short version is that Bill Clinton and the US kept Yeltsin in power by helping him with his political campaigns as well as helping him secure massive loans from the IMF/World Bank to continue his corrupt regime.
Adam Curtis Traumazone basically sums up all the events from the fall of the USSR to right before Putin is appointed. Aside from a few notes there is no commentary, simply the events as they happen.
This isn't much different from the US supporting other corrupt regimes at the time what is different is that Clinton personally visited Yeltsin to show his support and ensure foreign investors everything was fine.
Democracy was a traumatic experience for the Russians and instead of making sure that they knew this is not what Democracy is, the west kept the facade going and played a big part in the corruption.
It's not much different from what happened to Afghanistan. Our support for Karzai pretty much ruined any chance of a Democracy there and instead drove the people back into the hands of the Taliban.
In Japan and Germany we did better. We showed that Democracy would bring more food to the table and less death and destruction.
What kind of moron thought he'd be able to convert Russia, wholesale, to anything in 4-8 years max?
It was a policy called 'shock therapy' that economists implemented and the US including Clinton insisted to continue even when the cracks started to show.
