The Firebird: The Elusive Fate of Russian Democracy (Russian and East European Studies)

Andrei Kozyrev was foreign minister of Russia under President Boris Yeltsin from August 1991 to January 1996. During the August 1991 coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev, he was present when tanks moved in to seize the Russian White House, where Boris Yeltsin famously stood on a tank to address the crowd assembled. He then departed to Paris to muster international support and, if needed, to form a Russian government-in-exile. He participated in the negotiations at Brezhnev’s former hunting lodge in Belazheva, Belarus where the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus agreed to secede from the Soviet Union and form a Commonwealth of Independent States. Kozyrev’s pro-Western orientation made him an increasingly unpopular figure in Russia as Russia’s spiraling economy and the emergence of ultra-wealthy oligarchs soured ordinary Russians on Western ideas of democracy and market capitalism.__The Firebird__ Andrei Kozyrev Was Foreign Minister Of Russia Under President Boris Yeltsin From August 1991 To January 1996. During The August 1991 Coup Attempt Against Mikhail Gorbachev, He Was Present When Tanks Moved In To Seize The Russian White House, Where Boris Yeltsin Famously Stood On A Tank To Address The Crowd Assembled. He Then Departed To Paris To Muster International Support And, If Needed, To Form A Russian Government-in-exile. He Participated In The Negotiations At Brezhnev's Former Hunting Lodge In Belazheva, Belarus Where The Leaders Of Russia, Ukraine, And Belarus Agreed To Secede From The Soviet Union And Form A Commonwealth Of Independent States. Kozyrev's Pro-western Orientation Made Him An Increasingly Unpopular Figure In Russia As Russia's Spiraling Economy And The Emergence Of Ultra-wealthy Oligarchs Soured Ordinary Russians On Western Ideas Of Democracy And Market Capitalism. The Firebird Takes The Reader Into The Corridors Of Power To Provide A Startling Eyewitness Account Of The Collapse Of The Soviet Union, The Struggle To Create A Democratic Russia In Its Place, And How The Promise Of A Better Future Led To The Tragic Outcome That Changed Our World Forever-- Introduction: A Matter Of Life And Death -- The Russian White House Under Siege -- A New Russia Is Born From The Flames -- Cooperation With The Post-socialist States -- Putting Out Fires In Conflict Zones -- Reinventing Relationships With The West And East -- Shared Fate : Foreign Policy And Domestic Politics -- Balkan Complications -- The Battle For The Kremlin -- Opportunities And Anxieties -- The End Of The Beginning -- Epilogue: Can Russian Democracy Rise Again? Andrei Kozyrev ; With A Foreword By Michael Mcfaul. Includes Index. "Andrei Kozyrev was foreign minister of Russia under President Boris Yeltsin from August 1991 to January 1996. During the August 1991 coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev, he was present when tanks moved in to seize the Russian White House, where Boris Yeltsin famously stood on a tank to address the crowd assembled. He then departed to Paris to muster international support and, if needed, to form a Russian government-in-exile. He participated in the negotiations at Brezhnev's former hunting lodge in Belazheva, Belarus where the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus agreed to secede from the Soviet Union and form a Commonwealth of Independent States. Kozyrev's pro-Western orientation made him an increasingly unpopular figure in Russia as Russia's spiraling economy and the emergence of ultra-wealthy oligarchs soured ordinary Russians on Western ideas of democracy and market capitalism. The Firebird takes the reader into the corridors of power to provide a startling eyewitness account of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the struggle to create a democratic Russia in its place, and how the promise of a better future led to the tragic outcome that changed our world forever"-- Provided by publisher

Andrei Kozyrev was foreign minister of Russia under President Boris Yeltsin from August 1991 to January 1996. During the August 1991 coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev, he was present when tanks moved in to seize the Russian White House, where Boris Yeltsin famously stood on a tank to address the crowd assembled. He then departed to Paris to muster international support and, if needed, to form a Russian government-in-exile. He participated in the negotiations at Brezhnev's former hunting lodge in Belazheva, Belarus where the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus agreed to secede from the Soviet Union and form a Commonwealth of Independent States. Kozyrev's pro-Western orientation made him an increasingly unpopular figure in Russia as Russia's spiraling economy and the emergence of ultra-wealthy oligarchs soured ordinary Russians on Western ideas of democracy and market capitalism. The Firebird takes the reader into the corridors of power to provide a startling eyewitness account of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the struggle to create a democratic Russia in its place, and how the promise of a better future led to the tragic outcome that changed our world forever.

Contents Foreword by Michael McFaul Author’s Note Introduction: A Matter of Life and Death Part I. Russia versus the Soviet Union, 1991 1. The Russian White House under Siege 2. A New Russia Is Born from the Flames Part II. Climbing a Steep Slope, 1992–1994 3. Cooperation with the Post-Socialist States 4. Putting Out Fires in Conflict Zones 5. Reinventing Relationships with the West and East 6. Shared Fate: Foreign Policy and Domestic Politics 7. Balkan Complications 8. The Battle for the Kremlin 9. Opportunities and Anxieties Part III. The Downward Slope, 1994–1996 10. The End of the Beginning Epilogue: Can Russian Democracy Rise Again? Acknowledgments Index Andrei Kozyrev’s memoir is required reading for anyone who seeks to understand where Russia is today, where it has been, and where it may now be headed. In The Firebird, he weaves a compelling personal narrative that spans his country’s transformation from the closed Soviet system, to its reengagement with the world in the 1990s, and the subsequent resurgence of its confrontation with the West. Endowed with the experience and the sensitivity of a participant in the central dramas of the Yeltsin era, this book will entertain, educate and surprise even the most seasoned observers of Russia. -- Matthew Rojansky, Director, Kennan Institute