New East: Guardian Project Launched
On June 9 the British newspaper The Guardian launched a special project New East dedicated to ex-Soviet countries.
«On Christmas day 1991, the world watched as the USSR, one of the most powerful and feared empires of the 20th century, disintegrated. /.../
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan had already declared independence. Now they could truly come into their own.
The political, economic and social challenges (and opportunities) that faced these countries and their 290 million people were monumental.
Since then, some have embraced capitalism while others remain collectivised. Some enshrined free elections, others live under dictatorship. Some have grown wealthy, others are mired in poverty. Some live in peace, others are at war.
What all of the post-Soviet states share is an element of their past, that – whether celebrated or lamented – still informs events that take place today.»
«Our partners offer unique reporting, analysis and insights about the region that we call the New East, opening up coverage on the often under-reported issues facing these nations.
We are collaborating with Eurasianet, whose specialist reporters offer news and analysis from Russia, central Asia, the Caucasus and more; the Carnegie Moscow Center, which publishes expert research and non-partisan analysis on Russia and the region; Window on Eurasia, a blog from American analyst and former policy adviser Paul Goble; Caucasian Knot, focussing on news and analysis from the Caucasus; and Transitions Online, a non-profit organisation established to strengthen independent news media in the post-communist countries of Europe and the former Soviet Union.»
More information about the project is here