Remembering Mikhail Gorbachev
Gorbachev’s legacy is complex, but perhaps his greatest achievement will be that he contributed so manifestly to a spirit of peace at a vital time in world history.
Putin’s Brutal War and Ukraine’s Dark Heritage
For the authorities in Kyiv, wartime shortages and near starvation in cities like Mariupol recall the dark past of the Holodomor.
Mustafa Shokay and the Soviet Propaganda Machine
The restoration of Shokay’s name and legacy should serve as an encouragement to further research the role of Central Asian individuals during Soviet times and to help separate fact from fiction.
Interview – Vincenc Kopeček
Vincenc Kopeček explores the key issues at the core of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the role of civil society, as well as his work on de facto states.
Opinion – Mikhail Gorbachev: Cold War Hero or the Man Who Lost the Empire?
The Soviet Union ended quietly under Gorbachev, a man who sought peaceful change but lacked the means to preserve the Soviet state.
Understanding Ukraine and Belarus: Advancing My Career
This chapter describes the author’s experiences becoming a professor in Canada during the 1980s and 1990s, and during the Soviet “putsch” in August 1991.
Understanding Ukraine and Belarus: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
RFE/RL was an unusual place, especially the canteen where people of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe would gather together with German staff and British and American researchers.
Glasnost in Ukraine in the Aftermath of Chernobyl
This chapter describes the author’s travel, stories and experiences in Ukraine and the Soviet Union during the initial implementation of Glasnost.
Western Education about Eastern Europe
This chapter describes the author’s travel, stories and experiences as a history professor and PhD student in Alberta, Canada.
Visiting Chernobyl and Kyiv in 1989
In nuclear power, man had harnessed a monster. While it may be true that every form of power production has its dangers, nothing is as irrevocable as the effects of a nuclear accident.
