Russia and the Frozen Conflicts in Post-Soviet States

Russia and the frozen conflicts
in post-soviet states
What are the real nature and interest of frozen conflicts for Russia ? Symptome of the
transition to a post-imperial status or a real strategic policy for Russia to maintain her
influence waiting better days ?
I ) Russiaʼs transition as traditional actor in a strategic
area
A) SU defeat , Exit from the Empire, the wrong answer of the CIS
The Soviet Union, strictly composed by 15 republics and some other satellites like
the Baltic States, collapsed in 1991 and was divided into different States. The former
Russian Empire, built since Peter the Great to the West,has been lost : Russia has in 1991
the borders of 1687.
Russianʼs relationship with some former republic like the Baltic States were very
conflictual and these one preferred to not join the CIS project proposed by Russia. The
Community of Independant States was Eltsinʼs idea to maintain strong links with former
parts of the Russia Empire and most part of the latter joined this international organization
like Belarus, Kazakhztan... This Exit from the Empire has been realized in very few months
and it was quite impossible to think a complete independance of all these 15 new States.
Economical and strategic interest were so much entwined that it was necessary to stay in
touch thanks to a inter-national structure : the CIS was perfect for it and 11/15 States
created the CIS at Almaty the 21/12/1991.
But the aim and the ambition of the CIS have never been determined clearly : is it a
structure in order to prepare a safe divorce from Russia or an organization under
Moscowʼs control ? Russiaʼs first interest was to leave a political union with his former
Empire in order to treat in priority her own problems- and they were not few. Moscow spent
billions of Roubles for her former Empire and Sister Republics, investing less in her now
territory and a wave of hard nationalism was a thread in Russia at this time. This CIS was
a kind of...