Brookings Northeast Asia Commentary, Number
18. Russia, Asia, Northeast Asia, Foreign Policy
In order to understand Russia’s foreign policy toward East Asia we should take into consideration the current state of affairs and main trends in Russia and the region. Then it is possible to project what Russia should do to provide its interests in East Asia. So what is going on in Russia? Vladimir Putin inherited the country from Boris Yeltsin with a ruined economy, smoldering armed conflicts, and a poor populace. According to official statistics, under Yeltsin Russia’s GDP declined by roughly 60% - which is unprecedented in peace time - with all the ensuing consequences. Russia became weak and concentrated upon domestic problems, and by 1998 it had lost its erstwhile role and almost all influence in East Asia. Under Vladimir Putin, Russia managed to match its own GDP of 1990 only in 2006! Putin proved effective at stopping political and economic chaos, soothing armed conflicts inside Russia, and restoring a level of social and economic development. As a result, Russia has returned to the world stage as a strong state. It is expected that new president Dmitry Medvedev will continue that political course and that the energy dimension will become more considerable in Russia’s foreign policy as President Medvedev.Changing calculations in East Asia
The Vietnam question
Developments in Russia’s foreign policy
