In a very peculiar coincidence, for two days in a row I found, on the front page of American papers, articles dealing with Russian history and culture.  It is no surprise that today's newspapers paid tribute to former Russian president Boris Yeltsin, who died yesterday in Moscow at the age of 76.  A larger-than-life colorful personality, he broke with the Communist Party when it was still in power and a move like that had a heavy price attached.  Later, he became the first freely elected president of Russia and subsequently, the first leader in Russian history who relinquished his power at the end of his term.  Yeltsin presided over an extremely volatile moment in Russian history during the disintegration of the Soviet empire, with its subsequent rampant corruption...