Sentence:  This bureaucratic security-minded elite has invariably weathered changes in government by maintaining the personal ties that continue to dominate political life in the newly independent states. Political patronage continues to thrive in <WSD>Eurasia</WSD>. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A region comprising parts of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia; the countries of the former Soviet Union and the sphere of influence of Russia.