Spies Without Cloaks: The KGB's Successors

As the old French adage goes: The more things change, the more they stay the same. The KGB has been no exception. Since 1989, it has been divided into six supposedly autonomous bureaus, which-with subgroups-incorporate enough acronyms to stock an alphabet. But it still remains a state within a state. The author, who teaches Russian history and politics at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and is the author of The KGB and Beria, describes the retention of most high officials, even after the abortive 1991 coup. The principal change has been a shift in emphasis from foreign operations to internal security. The elite former KGB troops are considered more reliable than disaffected regular army units. They have become Yeltsin's Cossacks, keeping down the threat of anarchy in the new republic. This is an important book. Regrettably, as the KGB archives are still jealousy guarded, the author has unavoidably employed mostly secondary sources. The first half of the work traces events of the U.S.S.R.'s dissolution, which is hardly an easy subject, and the heavy detail makes it difficult for the casual reader. The second part is much more readable, with excellent coverage of borderlands, human rights and the KGB successors. Illustrations not seen by PW. (June)