Kathleen A. Collins

Kathleen Collins investigates the complex politics of post-communist Eurasia, particularly Soviet legacies and threats to democracy. She examines the long-term consequences of Soviet power. By brutally repressing clans and Islam, the USSR inadvertently sowed the seeds of violence. Communism also created formidable, civilian-controlled militaries instilled with anti-democratic norms and practices that devalued human life. Collins examines the conditions under which such profoundly destructive legacies can be transformed to support democracy, religious freedom, and human security.