Carnegie Moscow Center
The European Union has an opportunity to make a significant difference in their eastern borderlands, through a combination of social, economic, and political incentives.
Moscow’s evolving policies toward the Nordic-Baltic region are an important part of Russia’s larger approach to Europe and the Atlantic community.
Twenty years after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Russia’s disinterest in its former empire has been matched by the other former Soviet republics distancing themselves from the former imperial center.
By arresting former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the Ukrainian authorities were trying to both weaken the domestic opposition and get Moscow to soften its stance on the gas prices. They appear to have failed to achieve either objective.
Russian liberals, like many of their counterparts across Russian society, need to set aside their patronizing attitude toward Ukraine and their longing for the historical might of the Soviet Union.
The criminal prosecution of Ukraine’s former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, and her associates reveals the fragility of Ukraine’s democracy and the weakness of rule of law in the country.
The state of governance in Ukraine today is the subject of widespread debate, with Ukrainian and international observers citing evidence of democratic backsliding under Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
States of the Euro-Atlantic security community share basic interests and depend on one another for security, economic prosperity, and human development. To address modern security challenges, these states must revitalize the institutional foundations of their shared security community.
The 20 years that have passed since the Soviet Union’s collapse have shown that the former Soviet republics are capable of developing and strengthening their independence and economy, as well as integrating into global and regional processes, even as Russia continues its transition from an empire to a great power.
As the United States seeks to respond to the democratic challenges of the Arab Spring, it can be helpful to consider what has been learned since the early democracy promotion experiences of 1989.