Focusing on the roots of the new nationalism in Russia, this is a portrait of the country since the aftermath of the 1991 coup. The author argues that Russia will not become a liberal democracy, and that the forces of nationalism, suspicion of the West, orthodox religion, and the ghost of Stalinism, will keep the country different - and dangerous. The book is a warning that not much that is good should be expected to come from Russia for many years; that it is a wild and chaotic country that may be giving birth to a new imperialism.