Russia’s Far East: A Region at Risk

Description

The security environment of Northeast Asia is increasingly affected by developments in the Russian Far East, including a longstanding economic crisis, changes in Russia's military policies, and the devolution of power to regional governments. Continuing poverty in the Russian Far East, the pervasiveness of organized crime, and weak state authority have provided a fertile breeding ground for illicit activities that may prove harmful to Russia's Pacific neighbors. Hopes that resource development and integration into the Asia-Pacific economy would fuel regional recovery have been frustrated by poor infrastructure, a difficult business environment, and Russian concerns about becoming a "resource appendage" to the developed world. Russia's Far East: A Region at Risk comprehensively assesses the relationships among the economic collapse of the region; the post-Cold War role of Asia in Russia’s security policy; trends in Russia’s center-regional relations that impact tax collection, resource extraction, the military, and other issues; Russia's ability to manage potential areas of conflict like the maintenance of the nuclear fleet, nuclear dumping of radioactive materials in the Sea of Japan, and illegal migration from China; and the shifting balance of power in Asia. An interdisciplinary team of specialists from the United States, Russia, China, Japan, and Korea discuss the historical, political, and economic contexts, as well as the strategic implications, of these developments. The contributors address the vital questions of how to achieve a stable political order in the Russian Far East, how to develop economic growth in the region, and how to promote efforts to link Russia and the Asia-Pacific powers into a cooperative framework of diplomatic relations. Acknowledgments INTRODUCTION The Russian Far East in Perspective The Balance of Power and U.S. Foreign Policy Interests in the Russian Far East ECONOMIC OUTCOMES OF MARKET REFORMS Influence of the 1998 Financial Crisis on the Russian Far East Economy Social and Economic Differentiation in the Russian Far East The Russian Far East's Competitive Position in Northeast Asian Markets SECTORAL CASE STUDIES: FISHERIES, ENERGY, AND AGRICULTURE The Crisis of the Region's Fishing Industry: Sources, Prospects, and the Role of Foreign Interests Sakhalin Energy: Problems and Prospects Agrarian Reform and Agricultural Productivity in the Russian Far East THE MILITARY, THE PACIFIC FLEET, AND DEFENSE CONVERSION Russian Reforms: Implications for Regional Security Policy and the Military Russian Nuclear Regionalism: Emerging Local Influence over Far Eastern Facilities Security Implications of Defense Conversion in the Russian Far East INTERNATIONAL RELATION: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE REGION The Regional Dynamic in Russia's Asia Policy in the 1990s Chinese Migration in the Russian Far East: Security Threats and Incentives for Cooperation in Primorskii Krai Peculiarities of the Region's Political Mentality THE BALANCE OF POWER AND THREAT PERCEPTIONS China's Threat Perceptions and Policies toward the Russian Far East The Dynamics of Russian-South Korean Relations and Implications for the Russian Far East INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: PROSPECTS FOR COOPERATION The Japanese Economic Presence in the Russian Far East Economic Relations between South Korea and Russia Index About the Editors and Contributors