The Former Soviet Union Two Decades On

Russia and the West's current struggle over Ukraine has sent ripples throughout the entire former Soviet Union. The crisis has further polarized former Soviet states into pro-Russian, pro-Western and neutral camps. However, given the sharp political, economic and security changes many of these countries have faced since independence, and the evolving demographic and cultural landscape of the region, the broader foreign policy orientation of the former Soviet states is far from set in stone.