Post-Soviet Political Order asks what is shaping the institutional pattern of the post-Soviet political order, what the new order will be like, what patterns of conflict are emerging, and what can be done about stabilising the region. In considering these questions the contributors converge on four common themes: * the institutional legacy of empire* the social processes unleashed by imperial collapse* patterns of bargaining within and between states to resolve conflicts arising out of the imperial collapse* the impact of the wider international setting on the pattern of post-imperial politicsFocusing on the former Soviet Union and Eastern European countries, the contributors show how strong state institutions are essential if conflict and political instability are to be avoided.