Long road to prosperity

Today marks the 10th anniversary of a coup in the Soviet Union against president Mikhail Gorbachev that failed; in doing so, it led directly to the eventual collapse of the Soviet empire.

Where once existed a monolithic state, 15 separate nations sprang into existence. The Cold War ceased and a new world order was born.

For millions of Soviet citizens the demise of the USSR inevitably created great expectations of new freedoms and prosperity.

Ten years on, however, while many new freedoms do indeed exist, they mean little to large sections of the population because they lack the material means to exercise them fully. For many people democracy means only poverty.

The decline of the country is demonstrated by the scenes of whole fleets of rusting military ships, laid up in once-mighty Russian ports. And yesterday, Russia's air force commander, General Anatoly Kornukov, revealed that the formerly awesome air force had shrunk from several thousand aircraft during Soviet times to just a few hundred nowadays, due to a lack of money. No new planes have been bought for a decade and there is no money to train new pilots.

Nostalgia for Soviet times is perhaps therefore understandable among certain sections of the community; where once there appeared to be certainty and prestige, now there is unpredictability and degeneration. Wealth, and ultimately power, still lie in the hands of a small elite.