"This book is devoted to the study and analysis of the prospects for democracy among the Muslim ethnicities of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), both those that have acquired full independence and those remaining within the Russian Federation." "The essays included in this volume demonstrate that, despite the short-term obstacles on the path of democracy and pluralism and in the establishment of a true market economy and an effective civil society, there are forces at work which might make it possible to forge ahead."--Jacket.