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Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies · ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
Following the collapse of the USSR in 1991, fifteen former Soviet republics emerged as sovereign states. All of them have struggled to evolve working political systems and maintain sovereignty and internal cohesion. The newly independent states have been under pressure from Russia, China and the USA competing for geopolitical influence and, in a number of cases, control over extensive energy resources. Most of them have experienced economic decline, armed conflicts, terrorism, civil violence, organised crime and separatism of minority groups. The West today perceives post-Soviet Eurasia, with a population of approximately 300 million, as a zone of chronic instability posing threats to regional and global security. The course will seek to analyse topical developments and highlight long-term trends in security choices of the former Soviet Union. Emphasis will be placed on the issues of great power rivalry, ethno-nationalism, and conflict management. The course will discuss security dilemmas at multiple levels, ranging from state policies to sub-state actors and transnational issues, but special attention will be given to regional security complexes involving Russia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus.
One 3,000 word essay
Learning outcomes 2, 3, 4, 5
A four-hour examination at the end of semester
Learning outcomes 1, 3, 5
Tutorial assessment (based on reading and performance)
Learning outcomes 1, 5
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials; and b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing. Other Information This course is considered compatible with Security Studies and Asian Politics and International Relations fields of study. This course is listed in the following major and minors: Contemporary Europe Major - ANU Contemporary Europe Minor - ANU Global Security Major - ANU Global Security Minor - ANU Historical International Security Minor - ANU India Studies Major - ANU International Relations Major - ANU Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies Major - ANU Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies Minor - ANU Political Science Major - ANU Russian and Central Asian Studies Minor - ANU
None specified Preliminary Reading Maria Raquel Freire and Roger E. Kanet, eds. Key Players and Regional Dynamics in Eurasia. The Return of the Great Game. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. Gerard Toal. Near Abroad. Putin, the West, and the Contest over Ukraine and the Caucasus. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.