David T. Twining - Böcker

This unique compilation on the Eurasian states of the former Soviet Union introduces the little-known, yet strategic heartland of the world. Some of the data included has never before been published; none has been assembled in such a manner in which interrelationships of culture, history, diplomacy, economics, and defense are so clear and understandable.Following an overview of the Soviet Union and its recent history, the guide examines each region and each state. Data is provided on the political structure and policies, the military, and the economy. The remnants of the Soviet Union, such as the military-space complex, are described, as are the key emerging leaders. The volume concludes with a bibliography and general subject index. As a guide to the new republics, no other source, reference or text, has accomplished this comprehensive undertaking. It is indispensible for students and scholars alike and all who need to understand the contours of the new Eurasia with which the world must live for the foreseeable future. A unique compilation on the new Eurasian states of the former Soviet Union.

Colonel David T. Twining and his colleagues look at the impact of glasnost and the collapse of the Soviet system on the military. The case study approach used allows for in-depth examination of a number of key issues. Within the former USSR, the remarkable record of sacrifice and valor by women in wartime has not been matched by equal opportunity during peacetime, where they are effectively excluded from meaningful military careers. The KGB, the world's largest security and intelligence organization, proved to be among the most resistant to reform, and this, the book contends, appears to have hastened its doom. The adoption of the rule of law was widely resisted in the Soviet armed forces, and reforms in military service have come from demands by parents and relatives that the military change its lethal ways. Soviet foreign military affairs have also been affected by glasnost. The volume looks at the influence of the war in Afghanistan in the reversal of Moscow's Middle East policy. Equally important, but unheralded, has been the re-establishment of ties with China.Together, the essays in this collection illustrate the impact of a stressed political system struggling to adapt to changing circumstances, caught between the exigencies of reform and revolt. Students and scholars involved in Soviet studies as well as contemporary military studies will find much to ponder.