Post-Soviet Affairs is devoted to the study of the polities, economies, societies, and foreign relations of Russia and other republics of the former USSR. Its primary focus is on the tension between impulses of reform, liberalization, and modernization in the region and legacies of corruption, suppression of civil liberties, and other manifestations of the Soviet (and pre-Soviet) past. The journal seeks submissions across a broad spectrum of topics within which these impulses and legacies collide and are contested. These include, but are not limited to: state-society relations, electoral regimes, property rights, criminal justice, democratization, natural resource development, foreign policy, macroeconomic performance, political parties, elections, law, inequality, economic policy, ethnic relations, and local politics. Comparisons between post-Soviet and other post-communist countries are also welcome, as are cross-area comparisons with countries that have struggled with analogous challenges. Both theoretical and empirical articles are accepted. We seek articles that address important topics with theoretical sophistication and very substantial empirical support. Data may be based on a variety of research methods, including field studies, public opinion surveys, content analysis, on-site interviews, and archival research. We discourage submission of articles that are principally partisan manifestos, superficial policy analysis, or that are written primarily for an audience of abstract theorists or highly specialized methodologists.