The Former Soviet Space: The Peaceless Eastern End of Europe

Abstract

Contrary to the optimism in the end of the Cold War, Europe is neither united nor peaceful. While in the 1990s armed conflicts were still present in the area of the former Soviet Union as well as in the former Yugoslavia, in the 21st century Europe’s wars and less intense armed conflicts take place exclusively between or within the former Soviet republics. Faced with challenges from various directions, Russia wants to create a hegemonic system there in which no one can question its leading role. However, this sometimes goes against the interests of the population of other states, sometimes their leaders, sometimes both. Therefore, the insecurity that leads to violence will not go away, regardless of whether the powers that appear as rivals in the region contribute to that Russia perceives its environment as hostile, or that its insecurity stems from the fact that societies are moving away from each other inch by inch since the end of the Soviet Union. This study first makes general observations about the forces of disunity, the decline of the Soviet sense of identity, then shows the not at all reassuring trends in the unresolved and increasing number of protracted conflicts in the region, and finally filters the conclusion: the eastern end of Europe, which also includes Central Asia, to varying extent, remains unsettled. An area where the use of organised violence continues to be the part of politics.