The Post-Soviet Handbook: A Guide to Grassroots Organizations and Internet Resources - Softcover

Ruffin, M. Holt

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0295975342 ISBN 13: 9780295975344

Publisher: University of Washington Press, 1996

Synopsis

[ Post-Soviet Handbook: A Guide to Grassroots Organizations and Internet Resources By ( Author ) May-1996 Paperback

About this title

From the Back Cover:

The Soviet Union's demise in 1991 resulted in 15 independent nations and a legacy of crime and corruption, public insecurity, and even civil wars. More positive and lasting, if less visible, has been the formation of dynamic new organizations by public-spirited citizens working to make their institutions more humane, their economies more productive, their environments cleaner, and their legal systems more just. The Post-Soviet Handbook documents the enormous variety of these grassroots initiatives. It is the only guide of its kind, identifying and describing the real architects and builders of democratic progress across this vast and pivotal region, from the Research Center for Human Rights in Moscow to the Red Crescent Society in Azerbaijan and the Wildlife Foundation in Khabarovsk. It provides extensive contact information for hundreds of independent associations, and describes their principal programs and activities. This compendium is an essential resource for scholars, policy makers, business leaders, activists and anyone interested in collaborative projects with these groups. In addition, a special section introduces the abundance of Internet resources related to the newly independent states (NIS), from electronic mailing lists to World Wide Web and Gopher sites, as well as utilities for moving from Latin characters to Cyrillic and vice-versa. Other sections provide contact information for more than 20 clearinghouse organizations and describe more than 150 projects in the NIS created by U.S.-based entities, ranging from cultural exchanges to financial sector reforms and housing development.

From Booklist:

The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 resulted in the emergence of 15 independent nations and a supranational organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In the intervening years, the CIS vanished due to impotency and was replaced by another acronym that is no less enlightening: NIS, or Newly Independent States. If the public-at-large has found it difficult adjusting to this new order, the third sector of volunteer and aid organizations is increasingly confused about whom it should be dealing with within the former Soviet Union.

The Post-Soviet Handbook is, therefore, a timely guide to third-sector organizations in the NIS and those in the U.S. that interact with them in developing the government, economy, and community of these nations. With its American focus, it is an excellent companion to the similar Networking in Eastern and Central Europe (Community Development Foundation, 1995). The authors, staff at the Center for Civil Society International, arrange the listings of these third-sector organizations and resources in three sections: U.S.-Based Organizations; NIS-Based Organizations (arranged by nation); and Internet Resources. Entries include contact information for the organization with, when available, phone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses, and names of people to whom queries should be addressed. Sometimes a brief description of the organization and its activities follows. For example, the entry "Save the Children" also has a description of its activities, followed by descriptions of various institutions operated by Save the Children. The Internet Resources section includes information on communicating in Cyrillic on the Internet. Appendixes include an annotated list of relevant books and periodicals, an index of entries for the NIS by nation and city, and an alphabetical index of U.S.-based organizations.

The authors note that Internet resources are constantly changing. Consequently, they provide the URL to their Center's home page (http://solar.rtd.utk.edu/ccsi/ccsihome.html), which maintains an updated Internet list. This site is an excellent mirror of the book, although its arrangement by subject (Education, Law, etc.) is more user-friendly than the book. Both this site and the book are extremely useful guides to the development of the third sector in the former Soviet Union and, as such, are highly recommended for any library collection.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0295975342
• ISBN 13: 9780295975344
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 414