Now He Belongs To The Ages, Part 5

Boris Yel'tsin died yesterday. For those not in the know, Yelt'sin was thr first President of a free Russia who brought in political and economic reforms to Russia (for more about Yel'tsin, go here). While Yel'tsin was not perfect, he lead Russia though a time when leadership was needed. An example is his economic reforms of 1991-92. While they were tough on Russian society, it is what Russi needed at the time. Yel'tsin made some mistakes as well, such the long war in Chechnya and his support of Yugoslavia during NATO's innervation in Kosovo. Overall, Yelt'sin was a complex man that shined despite the pressures fate handed him.

Sadly, it appears that Mr. Putin is hell-bent on destroying Yel'tsin's good work. That is sad.

In any case, he will be missed.

The best book on Yel'tsin is Boris Yeltsin: From Bolshevik to Democrat by John Morrison. I read this book a few years ago.