Near abroad
Encyclopedia
In political language of Russia
and some other post-Soviet states
, the near abroad refers to the newly independent republics which emerged after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
, and sometimes other nearby countries such as Finland
and Mongolia
.
The term was popularised by Russian foreign minister Andrey Kozyrev
in the early 1990s, referring to central and eastern Europe; "near abroad" became more widely used in English
, usually to assert Russia's right to have major influence in the region,
but also for marketing purposes by various companies. For instance, President Vladimir Putin
has declared the region Russia's "sphere of influence
", and strategically vital for Russia.
Other early attempts to translate the Russian term include "the concept of 'abroad close at hand,'" "nearby foreign lands," and "countries not far abroad."
As a result of the acceptance of the term "near abroad," the word "abroad" has acquired the function of a noun
in English.
The term is usually used to refer to several countries in Eastern Europe
, the Caucasus
, and Central Asia
. Notably, the Baltic states
which chose not to join any of the post-Soviet political organizations are still commonly referred to by this term.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and some other post-Soviet states
Post-Soviet states
The post-Soviet states, also commonly known as the Former Soviet Union or former Soviet republics, are the 15 independent states that split off from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in its dissolution in December 1991...
, the near abroad refers to the newly independent republics which emerged after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
, and sometimes other nearby countries such as Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
.
The term was popularised by Russian foreign minister Andrey Kozyrev
Andrey Kozyrev
Andrey Vladimirovich Kozyrev was the foreign minister of Russia under President Boris Yeltsin from October 1991 until his dismissal in January 1996. The son of a Soviet diplomat, he was born in Brussels, Belgium. Andrey Kozyrev graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations...
in the early 1990s, referring to central and eastern Europe; "near abroad" became more widely used in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, usually to assert Russia's right to have major influence in the region,
but also for marketing purposes by various companies. For instance, President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
has declared the region Russia's "sphere of influence
Sphere of influence
In the field of international relations, a sphere of influence is a spatial region or conceptual division over which a state or organization has significant cultural, economic, military or political influence....
", and strategically vital for Russia.
Other early attempts to translate the Russian term include "the concept of 'abroad close at hand,'" "nearby foreign lands," and "countries not far abroad."
As a result of the acceptance of the term "near abroad," the word "abroad" has acquired the function of a noun
Noun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
in English.
The term is usually used to refer to several countries in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, and Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. Notably, the Baltic states
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
which chose not to join any of the post-Soviet political organizations are still commonly referred to by this term.