| dc.description.abstract | The big question on the minds of many international leaders is how will inter-ethnic conflict affect the former Soviet Union in the near future? How stable will the system be, and to what degree will minority groups find themselves to be represented or restricted in the new governments. A number of different possibilities present themselves immediately. If the chances for the development of legitimate democracy are slim, it is most likely that one or another ethnic minority will find themselves subject to the rule of another group, whether it be under a form of nominal democracy or under a new type of dictatorship. Another more grim possibility is that of a new Russian Empire. Many of the newly independent republics have been facing economic problems beyond their means, forcing them to turn back to Russia to maintain their economic machines. As ethnic tensions mount in many areas and Russian troops are invited in to establish peace, questions about the legitimacy of the local regimes have come to light. For some former republics, independence will be difficult to maintain.
In order to look at the question of ethnic conflict from as many aspects as is manageable, I will examine three theories that may help to explain the ethnic conflict present in Chechnya, the Ukraine, and Moldova. These can best be described as historically derived culture, soviet regime indoctrination, and societal transformation. | en |
