The authors of this timely book scraped together a lot of information back in 1992, just when the Soviet Union broke up and 15 new flags went up outside the UN. Yes, it was timely then, but now we know what has happened since. Unless you want to know what people thought back then about the process of the breakup and the possible futures the different republics faced, I don't think you want to read NEW NATIONS RISING anymore. It was a `flash book' whose time has now passed. That's why I'm giving it only two stars.
I agree with the two authors that the end of the Russian colonial empire (which had become the USSR but nevertheless continued in the same tradition) can be compared to the collapse of the British, French, Dutch, Belgian or Portuguese colonial empires after WW II. Why they didn't feel more pessimistic is a question that came to mind. A lot of the former African and Asian colonies lapsed into war, decaying infrastructure, authoritarian rule, and corruption due to the fact that education, progressive elites, and developed political systems did not exist, nor did non-exploitative economic setups. The former Soviet republics differed widely in their readiness for independence, with the three Baltic republics far ahead of the others, thanks to their long tradition of local rule, national cohesiveness, and 20 years of actual independence before World War II. While Georgia and Armenia have gone some distance from Soviet days, most of the others are still mired in the thuggish rule of autocrats of one sort or another. The democratic world's opportunity to shape the new republics was missed, whether because of ignorance, military strategy, or unwillingness to irritate Russia. The Russians' own xenophobic tendencies, which quickly emerged, didn't help either. The long imperial tradition combined with the Communist fantasies of 75 years caused Russia to lose its own religio-cultural heritage and identity due to the suppression of the Orthodox church, the ruin of the villages, and the bland pap given out in the name of Socialist Realism. Nobody emerged a winner from the ruins of the Russian/Soviet empire. How they DID emerge is the topic of this book given in hastily-written, but multitudinous detail. Only one map.
I bought this book 20 years ago and should have read it then. I don't think I really needed it now.
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