If Russia could choose when to start reforms, it would be hard to find a less favorable year than 1992, given the domestic situation in the US, Aleksashenko argues. In a presidential election year, the economy was in recession, and the budget deficit grew rapidly. Russia began its painful reform without a plan, lacking foreign exchange reserves and external help. The West was unprepared to deal with Russian President Boris Yeltsin, whom many saw as unfit for the office. Nobody around Bush was enthusiastic about helping Russia, and the President put the IMF in charge of dealing with Russia, though it was not a member of the organization. By mid-1992, it was evident that the reform attempt had failed.