The panelists discussed Mr. Kotkin’s book, Armageddon Averted: The Soviet Collapse, 1970-2000, published by Oxford University Press. Combining historical and geopolitical analysis, Mr. Kotkin draws upon extensive research, including memoirs of dozens of insiders and senior figures, and recently released archive materials. They explained the factors that led to the demise of Communism and the USSR, putting the collapse in the context of the global economic changes from the 1970s to the present day. Mr. Kotkin also presented profiles of Boris Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev. After their presentations they answered questions from members of the audience.