Book excerpt: Jacques Rupnik, one of the foremost experts on Eastern Europe, looks at the countries behind the Iron Curtain not merely as subjects of the Soviet Empire, but from within. Proposing a new way of thinking about the "other Europe"--One which takes seriously the predicament of individual nations squeezed between two superpowers -- Rupnik analyzes what made the Communist takeovers possible in the first place, describes the repressive delirium of the Stalinist era, and examines the demise of Marxism-Leninism both as ideology and as a credible system of government. Rupnik analyzes the lessons learned from previous attempts at reform and concludes that change is now taking place in the context of decay -- economic, social, environmental, and political -- and may bring about the retreat of the Communist Party. Finally he considers the "Gorbachev factor" : will reform in Moscow accelerate the dynamics of change, or will it force the Soviet Union to strengthen its hold on the outposts of its empire, the countries of the "other Europe"? - Jacket flap.