Boris Yeltsin

Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, the man who helped to bring about the collapse of the Soviet Union, has died at age 76. Kiron Skinner, the director of the International Relations Program at Carnegie Mellon University, has recently completed a book analyzing the campaign strategies of Yeltsin as well as the late President Ronald Reagan, who of course was also instrumental in the collapse of Soviet communism and the end of the Cold War. Skinner's book, co-authored with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice among others, is titled "Strategies of Campaigning: Lessons from Ronald Reagan and Boris Yeltsin" and is tentatively scheduled for publication in August by the University of Michigan Press.

Of Yeltsin's ascent to the Russian presidency, which came after he had been essentially shut out of Communist Party politics, the authors write, "Yeltsin seized the day, turning luck into political opportunity and employing his genius for campaigning to spark a remarkable political resurrection."

If you are a member of the media who would like to interview Kiron Skinner, please call me at 412-268-6094 or email me at jpotts@andrew.cmu.edu. 

Jonathan Potts