The collapse of the Soviet Union was one of the seminal events of the late twentieth century. But it was not the 'end of history'; nor the beginning of a 'new world order'. It was part of a process that is world-wide in its implications. Globalization has involved a major restructuring of national economies, leaving no part of the world untouched. It has brought with it dramatic change - from 'Thatcherism', to the de-regulation of Australian financial markets, to the liberalization of Indian investment laws. It also brought about the collapse of the Soviet Union. This book examines the effects of globalization on the Soviet economic and political system, as well as on other state-controlled economies. It concludes that globalization continues to eat away at state systems - from the remaining 'socialist' states to the NICs of East Asia.