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Boris Background

Robert talks with Martin Malia (MAY-lee-ah) about Russian President Boris Yeltsin's commitment to democracy. Malia is a professor emeritus of history at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of "The Soviet Tragedy: A History of Socialism in Russia 1917-1991" (NY: Free Press, 1994). Malia says Yeltsin is committed to democratic reform, but falls back on authoritarian impulses when it's convenient.

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