Using the example of the relations between the Russian Federation, the Ukraine, and Belarus, this project investigates how the foreign relations between the three members of the Commonwealth of Independent States has developed. The initial thesis is that there must be a connection between the (nascent) domestic transformation in a liberal and democratic direction within these republics, and the conduct of their foreign policy. Soviet traditions and the pre-Soviet heritage influence the formation of new types of international relations between these three Slavic republics. As a result, at the heart of this investigation lies the question of the relationship between continuity and innovation in the relations between these quite different partners. Starting with an analysis of the foreign relations, the areas of conflict as well as the potential arenas for cooperation will be evaluated, and likely future scenarios will be proposed.
