Russia: Yeltsin's Enemies

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As long as the military remains on the sidelines and political opponents lack broad support, the greatest challenge for Yeltsin will be to prevent the reform movement from self-destructing. Constant sniping from his onetime allies -- including such liberals as Russian Parliament Chairman Ruslan Khasbulatov, St. Petersburg Mayor Anatoli Sobchak and Moscow Mayor Gavril Popov -- threatens to undermine support for his economic plan. "The danger is that their criticism will become the dominant view in society," says Robert Legvold, director of Columbia University's Harriman Institute.

Should that happen, Yeltsin could be so weakened politically that the public might begin considering hard-line opposition figures as real alternatives. "If Russia fails in its reforms, especially of the economy," Yeltsin | warned last month, "a dictatorship will appear." Drained of popular support, Yeltsin would have to compromise his policies or risk being replaced. Either way, his warning might then become a self-fulfilling prophecy.