[5] He was previously a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and vice chairman of the National Council for East European, Russian, and Eurasian Research.

[6] Colton published The Dilemma of Reform in the Soviet Union in 1984, which dealt with the political and economic situation in Russia after the death of Konstantin Chernenko and rise of Mikhail Gorbachev.

Luke March, in a review for Europe-Asia Studies, compared the book to Leon Aron's Yeltsin: A Revolutionary Life, finding Colton's arguments to be more "balanced and concise.

[19] Jonathan Steele of The Guardian gave a similar review, saying that he felt Colton sided with Yeltsin on most events and backed the book "by a tremendous amount of research.

Rose Deller, writing for the London School of Economics blog, praised the book for its readability, in-depth analysis and "refreshing" approach to Russian politics.