Since becoming an independent country after its split from Czechoslovakia in January 1993, Slovakia's development from communism to political and economic democracy, underway when it was part of post-Communist Czechoslovakia, has been difficult and halting. Goldman starts with an analysis of the influence of a strong ethnic-based nationalism on Slovak relations with Czechs from 1918 through the Second World War and the years of Communist rule through to the breakaway from Czechoslovakia and the creation of an independent state. Goldman then examines the political, economic, socio-cultural problems and international difficulties the new Slovak state experienced as it tried to develop a democratic political system, move toward a free market economy, achieve societal unity and cohesion, and protect its interests abroad. In showing how a strong Slovak nationalism rooted in recent history has had an impact on policymaking in almost every sphere of national life, Goldman examines the roots and causes of Prime Minister Meciar's authoritarian leadership, the halting and uncertain transformation of the Slovak economy to a free market, the difficulties of governing the country's minorities, and the development of new relationships with areas of strategic as well as economic importance to Slovakia's well being as an independent state. This comprehensive and up-to-date analysis will be of great importance to scholars, students, and other researchers involved with Eastern European Studies.

An expert analysis of current U.S.-Russian relations as they play out in central Asia in the aftermath of the attacks of 9/11. Rivalry in Eurasia: Russia, the United States, and the War on Terror looks at the increasingly stressful state of U.S.-Russian relations resulting from the prosecution of the war on terrorism, as well as positive and negative effects of the U.S.-Russian rivalry on the leadership in each of the five Central Asian republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Rivalry in Eurasia begins by focusing on the key areas of contention between the United States and Russia in Central Asia, including American efforts to enlist help fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, U.S. support for democratization, and attempts by each side to exert control over the region's vast energy reserves. The book then turns to the republics themselves to show how the Russian-U.S. rivalry is playing out in each one, including Russian diplomatic tactics aimed at protecting its "backyard" against slow but steady U.S. efforts to exert more influence in the region. Six maps, one of the ex-Soviet Central Asian region and one map for each of the five countries where the Russian-American rivalry is occurring Bibliography of all works consulted by the author in writing the book Index of all names, places, situations, events, and developments covered in the book Five charts of statistical data on population, economy, population, religion, ethnicity for each of the five country-based chapters

An expert analysis of current U.S.-Russian relations as they play out in central Asia in the aftermath of the attacks of 9/11. Rivalry in Eurasia: Russia, the United States, and the War on Terror looks at the increasingly stressful state of U.S.-Russian relations resulting from the prosecution of the war on terrorism, as well as positive and negative effects of the U.S.-Russian rivalry on the leadership in each of the five Central Asian republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Rivalry in Eurasia begins by focusing on the key areas of contention between the United States and Russia in Central Asia, including American efforts to enlist help fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, U.S. support for democratization, and attempts by each side to exert control over the region's vast energy reserves. The book then turns to the republics themselves to show how the Russian-U.S. rivalry is playing out in each one, including Russian diplomatic tactics aimed at protecting its "backyard" against slow but steady U.S. efforts to exert more influence in the region.