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Author : B. Piadyshev
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Merited Worker of the Diplomatic Service, Doctor of
Science (History)
WHEN WE HEARD that the new book by Srecko Djukic, Ambassa-
dor Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Serbia to the
Republic of Belarus and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, called "Russia
and the End of the Soviet Union: A New Environment for Russia"
had been published in March of this year in Belgrade by "Suzhbeni
glasnik,'' a leading Serbian publishing house, we in Moscow could not
wait to read it. And we were not disappointed. Ambassador Djukic's
book presents a comprehensive and vivid account of the events he set
out to relate.
He says himself that this book took years, if not decades, to prepare
and come to fruition. Working in the diplomatic field and reflecting on it, he began making
preparations, collecting his thoughts, and gathering the necessary information as early as pere-
stroika times in the Soviet Union. This book also reflects his professional interests and serves as
a continuation of his earlier works, which International Affairs' readers are familiar with from
other issues.
The author rewrote the manuscript of this book more than once, since any narration of the his-
tory of difficult stages in international relations must be as precise and readable as possible, as
well as written in an appealing and understandable language. And the author rose admirably to
this task.
The name of the book itself speaks volumes. On the one hand, it is about the collapse of the
Soviet Union and Russia's leading role in this process. While on the other, it covers the post-So-
viet expanse and the structures created in it, as well as the young countries that appeared in it
after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
The book consists of three parts, "The Big Games Continue," "The CIS and Other Projects:
Between Hope and Reality," and "The Post-Soviet Expanse: A Commonwealth or Twelve Neigh-
bors?"
International Affairs' readers will perhaps remember the articles by Srecko Djukic published in
our journal on the problems of world energy, in which he is a recognized expert. Here too, in
his new book, he devotes much attention to the topic of the post-Soviet expanse and post-Soviet
countries relating to the energy resources they have at their disposal. Big energy serves big goals,
emphasizes the author, and is the foundation of long-term cooperation and European unifica-
tion. The practical steps taken since the beginning of the 1960s, when Europe was politically
more divided, have yielded good results. Solutions to continental Eurasian unification must still
be sought. After the fall of the Berlin wall, a new class of people and leaders with a new vision
appeared in Europe. Russian gas in Europe was the first sign that international tension was de-
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A New Environment for Russia