Except for the Baltic states, the countries of the former Soviet Union may be less democratic today than in the last years of the USSR.
About the Author
Archie Brown is emeritus professor of politics at Oxford University and emeritus fellow of St. Antony’s College, Oxford. His most recent book is Seven Years That Changed the World: Perestroika in Perspective (2007).
Controlling corruption is a huge challenge for Ukraine, especially in the natural-gas industry. The steps needed are well understood, if only the political will to take them can be summoned.
Since 1996, eight postcommunist authoritarian rulers have been ousted by “electoral revolutions.” Why have these not succeeded in other postcommunist countries?
There has been surprisingly little celebration of the tenth anniversary of the revolutions that brought down communism. The exaggerated hopes of the time have given way to disillusionment, but the…