The key to Gorbachev's reforms is the creation of a state in which the rule of law is sovereign. In this book Soviet and British and American jurists discuss the nature and role of the law in society, and assess the possibilities and difficulties of establishing a legal system based on the values and principles of Western democracies in the USSR. Among the topics covered are the role of a constitution, the status of political parties, the importance of glasnost, the question of individual rights and the meaning of pluralism.