Post-Soviet Political Order analyses the institutional patterns of the former Soviet Union and Eastern European countries. The contributors show how strong state institutions are essential if political instability is to be avoided.

1. Introduction: Reconstructing Politics Amidst the Wreckage Of Empire Jack Snyder 2. After Empire: Competing Discourses and Interstate Conflict in Postimperial Eastern Europe Alexander J. Motyl 3. The Great War and the Mobilization of Ethnicity in the Russian Empire Mark von Hagen 4. Will Russia Survive? Center and Periphery in the Russian Federation Steven Solnick 5. Ethnolinguistic and Religious Pluralism and Democratic Construction in Ukraine Jose Casanova 6. Possibilities for Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Post-Soviet Central Asia Rajan Menon and Hendrik Spruyt 7. Russian Hegemony and State Breakdown in the Periphery: Causes and Consequences of the Civil War in Tajikistan Barnett R. Rubin 8. Conclusion: Managing Normal Instability Barnett R. Rubin