Transition Economies and Foreign Trade makes the bold claim to have solved puzzles that have hindered the subject for years. By taking the distortions of the Communist era into consideration, Winiecki has explained the phenomenon of the decline in output and trade, as well as explaining the dual commodity nature of exports in the early transition phase.The book's intriguing analyses include: *the legacy of the Communist past upon foreign trade transition*the reorientation of exports from the East to the West *trade and exchange rate regimes and their impact upon foreign trade performance*post-transition problems, associated with potential membership of the European Union.This topical and timely book should become essential reading for students and academics with an interest in international economics as well as being of great use to business analysts and policy makers.