The course, designed for graduate students interested in modern politics, undertakes a comprehensive study of the problems of Russia's foreign policy toward the countries that became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The last twenty years have been one of the most complex and dynamic periods for Russia and her neighbors. The issues of independence, identity, interstate relations have been characterized by acute struggle, both within national political elites and among the states. Defining priorities has not been an easy process either in Russia or in the neighboring countries. This process was complicated by the clashing interests of external powerful “actors” (such as the USA, the EU, and China) over the post-Soviet space. Some rising powers (such as Turkey, Iran, and others) have recently become more active and claimed a special role in this Eurasian geopolitical region. This period is full of contradictions and conflicts and gives plenty of insight into historical, geopolitical, political, and cultural aspects of the region, and allows us to test major modern political theories and their applicability to the analysis of many interesting problems.