Two main discourses are currently used to analyze relations between Russia and the other post-Soviet states. The two approaches, post-colonial and post-ideological, underlie most analyses of Russian policies in Eurasia and help establish the conceptual frameworks for Western policies toward post-Soviet states and other countries of the former socialist bloc. These two discourses are intertwined. They are also intentionally or unintentionally reflected in the national political discourses of Russia’s post-Soviet neighbors.
This paper focuses on the more prominent post-colonial discourse. This is based on a perception of the Soviet Union as an empire, the successor of the Russian Empire. This discourse holds Russian policies in post-Soviet Eurasia to be a form of neo-colonialism. […]
