Back to the U.S.S.R.: Bruce Nelan RealAudio

Russia is a "Nation at the Crossroads," where historical and social factors determine the political landscape this year:

Both Eastern and Western: A nation of contradictions.
A loss of empire, a loss of pride
The two Russias, one urban, one rural

Campaign '96 features a field of major and minor candidates with wildly different ideologies:

Gennady Zyuganov's appeal; Boris Yeltsin's baggage
The other contenders and the roles they play
An uncertain outcome

Russians must make a great decision, but in this election we ask, "What is at Stake?":

Is a new Cold War possible?
The winner may not rule long
Boris Yeltsin's plans for Russia
Russia under President Gennday Zyuganov
Reform, though delayed, will come with time

TIME Senior Writer Bruce Nelan contributes stories to the magazine's World Section from the Washington Bureau. He was TIME's Bureau Chief in Moscow from 1978 to 1981, during Leonid Brezhnev's declining years. He has also served as Bureau Chief in Hong Kong, Bonn and Johannesburg and as Diplomatic Correspondent and National Security Correspondent in Washington.