Issues with Henry aside, I think "ever since the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991, a succession of American administrations has acted as if the creation of Russian democracy were a principal American task" may be one of the most spot-on things I've ever read in any paper in my whole life.
I'm surprised you agree with this. Plunder and pillage do not indicate a preoccupation with democracy, in any meaningful, non-PR definition of the term IMHO. What, supporting Chubais and Gaidar, demonstrates an active involvement in creating Democracy? How exactly did these administrations act to create "democracy" in Russia? The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom - William Blake
With respect to the long term, ever since the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991, a succession of American administrations has acted as if the creation of Russian democracy were a principal American task. Speeches denouncing Russian shortcomings and gestures drawn from the Cold War struggle for pre-eminence have occurred frequently.
So as you can see, the thrust of the comment is not Democracy but America's role.
Whether or not America had sincere intentions for creating a Democratic system in Russia is an extremely complicated subject. Like the Kremlin, there are many actors in Washington. I don't doubt that some actually believed that supporting Chubais and Gaidar was supporting democracy. I don't doubt that for many "democracy" -as has been the case in so many regions we've attempted to bestow with it- was/is simply code for "submission to America" and/or "casino Capitalism." I'm currently reading Collision and Collusion: The Strange Case of Western Aid to Eastern Europe. Interesting stuff. America is not solely to blame for Russia's ills. But the arrogance with which we we prance about the globe "solving" everyone's problems has not helped. I think this is Kissinger's point. His point is not about "democracy" which is an almost meaningless term in my opinion, but about America's image of itself and its relationship to the world, about our attitude.
Make more sense now? Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.