ABSTRACT
The last decade of the twentieth century witnessed the continuation of the process of dissolution of the Soviet empire. Former satellite nations in East Europe regained political independence and were integrated into the Western market economy. Russia itself was democratized and transformed into a market economy under the leadership ofYeltsin, who succeeded Gorbachev. In Asia, too, tension was eased; the civil war in Cambodia ended, and South Korea actively sought to improve diplomatie relations with former foes. It is important to note, however, that communism was and still is intact in Asiain China, in North Korea, and in Vietnam.
