Russian foreign policy was historically based on domination over its neighbors and imperialist model of foreign policy over neighboring countries.
Foreigners who visit former Soviet Union countries are often shocked by existing poverty, poor social infrastructure and corruption which erodes society from inside. It may be explained taking into consideration different historical factors: Soviet Union was based on strict dictatorship, where the interests of individual were not taken into consideration. Individual got basic facilities for living: in 1930's it was a great progress as USSR turned into a quickly developing industrial economy from a conservative and outdated agricultural one. Formal equality of all citizens created favorable conditions for unavoidable corruptions which made citizens to exploit their positions illegally in order to improve the living. There is an ethical explanation too: several generations of Soviet people didn't know what religion and morality are, as the official religion of the U.S.S.R. was atheism. Atheism resulted the decline of social morals as more and more believed in impunity. It resulted the growth of organized crime, corruption and mafia. Term mafia may be not only referred to Russian federation, but to any country of former Soviet Union, as symbiosis of bureaucrats who have official power and organized crime leaders who have...
Privatization process which started in early 1990's on the territory of former Soviet Union created favorable conditions for organized crime to legalize their capital and get legal profits in future. In order to find additional funds for budget governments of NIS allowed to "privatize" state owned enterprises, often by extremely low prices. Understandably it created favorable conditions for flourish of corruption. To change the system of values is quite difficult and it will take a long period in order reevaluation of moral values to take place in people's mentality.
Another characteristic feature of former communist countries is the growth of nationalism and religious extremism. Military conflicts took place on the territory of the following former republics of the U.S.S.R.: Armenia, Georgia, Tajikistan, and Moldova. If Central Asia remained to be relatively quick region, as only Tadjikistan had experienced horrors of Civil war, than in Caucasus region, the tragedies of war became common for every country. But ideas of religious extremism are very common for Central Asia:
Uzbek President Islam Karimov has declared on numerous occasions that the country is seriously threatened by Islamic fundamentalists. One Islamist movement, known as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), has called for Karimov's overthrow and the
