Eurasia Center

Ukraine has moved tentatively toward an open society and market economy since independence. The country has held several democratic elections but largely failed to address state control and corruption in its economy.

Russia was the dominant republic in the former Soviet Union and took tentative steps toward an open society and market economy in the 1990s. But during the early 2000s, under leader Vladimir Putin, its direction changed.

Named for the mountain range between southern Russia, and northern Turkey and Iran, the Caucasus is home to the nations of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

The Central Asian Republics—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan—are located at the nexus of Russia, China, South Asia, and the Middle East.

Before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian tendencies became clear, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the only leader independent Belarus has ever known, was characterized as the last dictator in Europe.

Since its independence, Moldova has sat on the divide between East and West. The Moldovan government has moved fitfully toward an open society and market economy, while Moscow has supported separatists in the region of Transnistria.