The collapse of the Soviet Union has created a number of newly independent states that have found themselves highly interdependent with one another. These events offer case studies that may be used for further research on the effects of interdependence on conflict. In this region interdependence has not always led to increased cooperation, on the contrary those areas where the states are highly interdependent have also created conflict. In this thesis I attempt to decipher what it is about the relationship between Russia and Ukraine that causes conflict between the two countries, looking specifically at their interactions in the energy sector. I will argue that the lack of political interdependence between theses states in the creation and maintenance of their interdependence has allowed for conflict to arise in the energy sector due to the inherent asymmetries in their relationship and their respective abilities to use dependence as power in their foreign relations.
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