Foreword
Russia was by far the largest republic in the Soviet Union, representing 75 percent of the territory and slightly more than half the population. It also contained most of the natural resources, industrial base, and military assets.When the U.S.S.R. collapsed in 1991, much of the Soviet military threat to the United States disappeared. Yet developments in Russia have remained important to the United States. Russia is still a nuclear superpower with a major security role in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. It is also a potentially important U.S. trading partner.Since 1991, the United States has tried to build a…
