It shows that large majorities of people in most post-Soviet states prefer a closer relationship with Russia than with the United States.

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In recent days the chances of a rosy outcome have grown, but Mr Kuchma, like his fellow post-Soviet leaders in neighbouring states, can be relied upon to do his best to cling on as long as possible.

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After a brief bit flying jets, my career turned to flying spy satellites, then to a remote surveillance site, and finally defending Canada and the United States from Soviet attack at NORAD (command post in the mountain).

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Nazi aerospace engineers pioneered the jet engine and their early work on rockets laid the foundations for the post-war space programs of both the United States and the Soviet Union.

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The range of material is impressive: the chapters deal with the growth of European cities before the industrial revolution, corruption in post-Soviet Russia, privatisation in Eastern Europe, local government in the United States, and more.

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But few of these post-Soviet countries have been as valuable, pound-for-pound, to the United States in the last 20 years as Azerbaijan, a country that we all should seek to understand due to the resilience of its economy, richness of its culture and the relevance of its policies.

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