Using new polling data, Nadia Diuk traces youth attitudes towards politics in Russia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan, and shows how they have been shaped in ways very different from one another by their past experiences. The Next Generation will be critical to anyone seeking to understand political change in the former Soviet Union.
Francis Fukuyama, author of The ... Read moreEnd of History and the Last Man A timely and important contribution regarding the complex relationship between democracy and the politically-awakened youth of the key newly independent states of the former Soviet space.
Zbigniew Brzezinski, "Compelling, readable, and very moving!" One of the most striking features of recent democratic revolutions in post-communist countries (and globally) has been the leading role of youth and youth movements in challenging authoritarian rule.  But what happens after the revolution?  In this innovative and timely study, Nadia Diuk draws on extensive interviews and public opinion surveys to paint a fascinating political portrait of the first post-Soviet generation in Russia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan. This is a vital work for understanding the nature and limits of political change in these societies.
Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University Diuk (vice president, National Endowment of Democracy) analyzes the political attitudes of youth (18-35 year olds) in Russia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan, based on surveys conducted in 2003 and 2010. In Soviet times, youth activities were channeled into official organizations. In post-Soviet society, they are untethered, despite some efforts by the Russian state to create Komsomol-like organizations. Diuk argues that youth have better skills and work ethics than their parents have but still expect the state to provide a safety net. They do not necessarily hold democratic values
not even in Ukraine, where they played a prominent role in the 2004 Orange Revolution. They are alienated from politics, with low levels of trust in the media, parties, and NGOs. The highest level of support for democracy (as an ideal) is in Azerbaijan, which is the least democratic of the three. The 40-page appendix includes the main survey results: Diuk does not construct a statistical model. One of the few books on an important topic. Summing Up: Recommended.
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