Transnational Determinants of Ethnic Russian Mobilization in the in the former Soviet Republics.

The recent violence in Estonia revolving around the Soviet World War II monument as well as the long-standing stalemate in the Moldovan Transnistria point to the ability of the Russian diasporas in the former Soviet republics to mobilize in the pursuit of their perceived interests. On the other hand, a relatively peaceful coexistence of ethnic Russians and the local natives in the other ex-USSR states raises a question as to why certain ethnic Russian communities of the former Soviet republics are involved in violent mobilization while others live in a relative peace. In this paper, I apply theories of violence to explain the behavior of Russian diasporas in the “near abroad”. Building on the previous work I specifically focus on the factor of transnational support that such communities might be receiving from the ethnic kins abroad. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]