Lessons from the Russian Transformation

Abstract
Russia is a mirror in which we can see some of our own future. Sometimes the picture is optimistic sometimes threatening, but in general is far from what we currently tend to say about Russia. The main argument of this chapter is that the postcommunist transformation in Russia is—in our understanding—a specific blend of the communist past and a Western future in its experience of global change. In other words, postcommunism not only reveals the regional character of the current phase of transformation of the system but also corrects our understanding of globalization. Moreover, it puts forward concrete, regionally-based evidence as to its specific modes of operation and institutionalization.