 |
Russia
|
 |
Description
One of the largest political transformations of the twentieth century was the fall of communism in 1989-91 in the former Soviet bloc, signaling the end of the Cold War. Although fully self-sufficient, Russia had sought to trade with outlets in the outside world, notably North Korea and Cuba - as well as, of course, with its own East European satellites - as a viable alternative to trading with the capitalist states' World Trade Order.
One of Russia's greatest assets is the Siberian oil and gas fields, and the giant energy company which evolved from 1989-91; Gazprom, which has constructed a pipeline through the Black Sea, for the high potential energy demands of Turkey. Russia supplies one quarter of the world`s gas supplies (Ostrovsky: 1999).
Effect on Capitalism
Since the collapse of communism, the effect on global capitalism has been profound, with western companies falling over themselves to indulge in the "developing markets" of the former Soviet Union. The former satellites of Russia have also found themselves under siege to western interests, and their geographical proximity to Russian soil has made the former Soviets very anxious of their national security. The interest in these buffer states of the Caspian Basin of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, has been further highlighted by dramatic oil finds estimated at twenty five percent of the current total in the Gulf (Ostrovsky: 1999; Dalby: 1999). The Trans Caspian pipeline enters through Turkmenistan, bordering Afghanistan, through to the Caspian ports of Georgia.
Effects on Democracy
The original changes in democracy were not really apparent, in the post Yeltsin era. Reforms taken since President Putin's inauguration have been dramatic by Russian standards, but seem slow and cumbersome to many western correspondents. Russia's ten year war in Afghanistan led to the former superpower bowing out with a bloody nose.
Summary
The reforms from communism to capitalism have been painful for the former superpower, not least due to the difficulties presented by the capitalist world after the Asian economic downfall in 1998. As oil prices have improved, so has the domestic fortunes of the Russian economy, yet its military concerns remain following a war in the former Soviet republic of Chechnya.
Russia demonstrated its security concerns by its involvement in the 'National and Regional Security of the Central Asian States in the Caspian Sea' (Kiss) conference organised by the Stockholm International Peace Institute (SIPRI) which sought to "ensure this security (military), comparative roles of the CIS Collective Security Treaty, the Shanghai Forum, and NATO`s PfP programme" (SIPRI: 2001).
Copyright S Coleman 2002
13 July 2002
Flag used with permission: http://www.theodora.com/flag
 |
|
 |