Investigates how elites have affected democratic development in Russia and how they influence the consolidation of the emerging political regime and post-communist patterns of behaviour and attitudes.

This book is devoted to the study and analysis of the prospects for democracy among the Muslim ethnicities of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), both those that have acquired full independence and those remaining within the Russian Federation. The nineteen Western academics and scholars from the Muslim countries and regions of the CIS who contribute to this volume view the establishment of democratic institutions in this region in the context of a wide and complex range of influences, above all the Russian/Soviet political legacy; native ethnic political culture and tradition; the Islamic faith; and the growing polarity between Western civilization and the Muslim world.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction -- Part I: The Military and the End of the Soviet State -- 1. Thinking About Civil-Military Relations in Russia -- 2. Gorbachev'sReforms: Political Change and Civilian Control -- 3. The Military, Domestic Political Violence, and the Gorbachev-Yeltsin Rivalry -- 4. The Double Coup of August 1991 -- 5. The Dual Presidency -- 6. From Union to Commonwealth -- Part II: The Military and the New Russian State -- 7. Military Officers as a Political Force -- 8. Dividing the Army Monolith Responsibly -- 9. Presidential or Parliamentary Armed Forces? -- 10. The Armed Forces and Yeltsin's Presidential Putsch -- 11. The Military's Politics after the Crisis of September-October 1993 -- Part III: Testing the Russian State's Viability -- 12. The Chechen War and Civil-Military Relations -- 13. The Military's 1995 Political Offensive -- 14. The 1996 Presidential Campaign -- 15. President Yeltsin and General Lebed -- 16. Military Politics in Yeltsin's Presidential State -- 17. The Theory and Practice of Democratic Constitutional Control -- 18. Serving Under the Imperial Eagle -- 19. Postscript: Civil-Military Relations in an Ukaz-Governed State -- Bibliography -- Index

The new edition of this extremely well-received political biography of Vladimir Putin builds on the strengths of the first edition to provide the most detailed and nuanced account of the man, his politics and his profound influence on Russian politics, foreign policy and society. New to this edition: analysis of Putin's second term as President more biographical information in the light of recent research detailed discussion of changes to the policy process and the élites around Putin developments in state-society relations including the conflicts with oligarchs such as Khodorkovsky review of changes affecting the party system and electoral legislation, including the development of federalism in Russia details on economic performance under Putin, including more discussion of the energy sector and pipeline politics Russia’s relationship with NATO after the ‘big bang’ enlargement, EU-Russian relations after enlargement, and Russia’s relations with other post-Soviet states the conclusion brings us up-to-date with debates over the question of democracy in Russia today and the nature of Putin’s leadership and his place in the world. Putin is essential reading for all scholars and students of Russian politics.

This book examines the various stages of China’s development, in the economic, social, and political fields, relating theories and models of development to what is actually occurring in China, and discussing how China’s development is likely to progress going forward. It argues that China’s modernization hitherto can be characterized as "authoritarian development" – a fusion of mixed economic institutions of varying types of ownership with social stability and political cohesiveness – and that the present phase, where more emphasis is being given to social issues, is likely to lead on to a new phase where a more mature civil society and a more extensive middle class are likely to look for greater democratization. It presents an in-depth analysis of China’s changing social structure and civil society, explores the forces for and processes of democratization, and assesses the prospects for further democratization in the light of changing social structures.