Remnick, the Washington Post reporter who won the Pulitzer Prize for Lenin's Tomb (on the fall of the Soviet Union), insightfully explores the powers shaping a new Russia. Remnick focuses on the emergence of a new power elite, but does not neglect the effect of these changes on the welfare of the Russian people. Chronologically, the book follows the ruins of the USSR, up to the 1996 elections.  (RUS23, $16.00)