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STANFORD, California - February 12, 2001 - I would like to announce the release of a major new study of the Russian defense industry. In essays by distinguished international experts, "The Anatomy of Russian Defense Conversion" analyzes the Russian defense industry and shows that successful conversion to civilian production is not only crucial to the future of Russia, but is also imperative for global security. Former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry has written the foreword to the book.

The Russian defense industry, a "state within a state" stretching 6,000 miles from the Baltic to the Far East, has always been shrouded in secrecy. The fate of Russia now depends, to a great extent, on whether the plants in the defense industry are revived in order to produce weapons for the "highest bidder," or reoriented to produce civilian products.

"The Anatomy of Russian Defense Conversion" draws on newly released documents to trace the militarization of the Russian economy, and to shed light on key aspects of the Russian defense industry:

- Decision making in the Soviet defense industry: the "Big Five" and the Defense Council
- The "headlong" race to convert by command
- Today's weapons of mass destruction: biological weapons and "nuclear suitcases"
- Environmental catastrophes and health problems
- Secret closed atomic cities
- The devastating loss of intellectual capital
- Who really controls Russia's defense enterprises
- The new challenges of Internet marketing, global e-commerce, and international joint ventures

Thirty-six eminent international authors, including David Bernstein, Marcus Feldman, Ambassador James Goodby, Ambassador Oleg Grinevsky, Michael Intriligator, Don Gerth, Vitaliy Shlykov, and Jonathan Tucker. The book is edited by Vlad E. Genin.

"The Anatomy of Russian Defense Conversion" was officially launched at the Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, on January 16, 2001, with opening remarks by the Honorable William J. Perry.

"The Anatomy of Russian Defense Conversion", Vlad Genin, General Editor, VEGA Press, 936 pages, ISBN: 0-9702587-0-4, can be ordered online from VEGA Press (www.vegapress.com) or Amazon.com (www.amazon.com) or from major bookstores (Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc.). Detailed information on the book and ordering instructions may be found at: www.vegapress.com.

Professor David Holloway,
Director of the Institute for International Studies at Stanford University