"This book is a collection of original essays that examine developments since 1991 in Russia, the largest, most populated, and most strategically important of these states. The new Russia is a partly formed democracy. Its citizens go to the polls regularly to elect their leaders but whether there is enough support to sustain the new democratic institutions over time is not yet certain. The old Soviet command economy has been shattered, but the transition to a market economy remains incomplete.

The unfinished nature of Russia's political and economic transformation has complicated the task of creating a new political loyalty based on civic - not ethnic or nationalist - principles. And while some would like to see Russia break up or decentralize, others are nostalgic for an imperial past and are enthusiastic for Russia's active involvement on the territory of the former Soviet Union."--BOOK JACKET.

"Russia After Communism traces both the recent history and current development of these key issues. Each essay is written jointly by an American and a Russian and reflects both shared intellectual paradigms and differing perspectives."--BOOK JACKET.