A provocative look at the world's most difficult, seemingly ineradicable problems—and the surprising stories of the countries that solved them.

The evolution of American foreign policy toward the Soviet Union, and later Russia, is traced through the tumultuous and uncertain period following the end of the cold war. It examines how American policymakers—particularly in the executive branch—coped with the opportunities and challenges presented by the new Russia.

From the streets of Seattle to corporate boardrooms to new factories in third-world nations, globalization is subject to very different and often explosively divergent interpretations. Where some see…