Struggling with Imperial Debris

Amid aftershocks still emanating from the collapse of the former Soviet Union, TIME editors recently toured the region, where they spoke with the leaders of two newly independent states.

EDUARD SHEVARDNADZE, CHAIRMAN OF THE GEORGIAN SUPREME SOVIET

On the danger of Russian imperialism: It's impossible to restore the empire. This isn't the 19th century. All states of the world are now interdependent. In spite of very painful local processes, there is one big universal logic ((of independence)). The disintegration of the Soviet Union was a manifestation of this logic. It could have occurred in a different form or at a different...

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