Russian policy in Central Asia: Supporting, balancing, coercing, or imposing?

Asian Perspective

Volumn 33, Issue 2, 2009, Pages 125-149

  Freire, Maria Raquel ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

International security; Russia; Russian foreign policy in Central Asia

Indexed keywords

EID: 77749326471     PISSN: 02589184     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1353/apr.2009.0020     Document Type: Article

References (73)

1. Jeronim Perovic, "From Disengagement to Active Economic Competition: Russia's Return to the South Caucasus and Central Asia," Demokratizatsiya, No. 1 (Winter, 2005), p. 62.
2. S. V. Kortunov, "The Fate of Russia: Several Observations on 'New' Russian Identity," in Gregory Freidin, ed., Russia at the End of the Twentieth Century: Culture and Its Horizons in Politics and Society (Conference Papers-Stanford 1998) (Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2000), p. 7.
3. Margot Light, "In Search of an Identity: Russian Foreign Policy and the End of Ideology," Communist Studies and Transition Politics, vol. 19, No. 4 (2003), p. 48.
4. "Russia: Kremlin Sees Its Foreign Policy Star On Rise," Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), March 21, 2007
5. See also Lilia Shevtsova, Putin's Russia (Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2005), p. 385.
6. See The Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation, official web portal of the President of Russia, July 12, 2008, online at www.kremlin.ru/eng/text/docs/2008/07/204750.shtml.
7. Putin's popularity has been a focus of various analyses that seek to deconstruct the image of popular consent that was built around the all-powerful president of Russia. See for example, "The Myth of Putin's Popularity," RFE/RL, December 30, 2008, where several well-known names within the Russian establishment are mentioned as well as cases illustrating this tendency.
8. Muratbek Imanaliev, "Keynote Speech: Central Asia: Where Is It?" Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS) First Regional Conference, August 5, 2008, Issyq Kol, Kyrgyzstan
9. Including P. P. Vasko, Deputy Chairman of the Coordination Service of the Council of the Border Guard Commanders of the CIS Countries; M. D. Inferev, Counselor to the CSTO Secretariat.
10. V. K. Novikov, First Deputy of Head of the Main Operational Departments, General Staff of Russia's Armed Forces.
11. V. I. Nemchin, First Deputy Head of the Administration of FSS of Russia. Refer to the special issue on Russia and Central Asia of International Affairs: A Russian Journal of World Politics, Diplomacy and International Relations, October 2003.
12. Paul Kubicek, "Russian Energy Policy in the Caspian Basin," World Affairs, vol. 166, No. 4 (Spring, 2004), p. 208.
13. "The Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation, 2008," approved by the President of the Russian Federation, V. Putin, June 28, 2000, online at www.fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/doctrine/econcept.htm.
14. Joseph Ferguson, "Russian Strategic Thinking toward Central, South, and Southeast Asia," in Gilbert Rozman, Kazuhiko Togo, and Joseph P. Ferguson, eds., Russian Strategic Thought toward Asia (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2006), p. 215.
15. Pavel Baev, "Assessing Russia's Cards: Three Petty Games in Central Asia," Cambridge Review of International Affairs, vol. 17, No. 2 (July, 2004), p. 281.
16. Stephen Blank, "Infrastructural Policy and National Strategies in Central Asia: The Russian Example," Central Asian Survey, vol. 23, Nos. 3-4 (December, 2004), p. 243.
17. Ferguson, "Russian Strategic Thinking."
18. Subodh Atal, "The New Great Game," The National Interest, No. 81 (September, 2005), p. 101.
19. "The Islamist offensives in August 1999 in southern Kyrgyzstan and Dagestan, followed by the war in Chechnya, contributed to the 'Islamic threat' being redefined as a threat of 'international terrorism' in the National Security Concept published in February 2000 and moved to the forefront of the Russian political agenda. The events in Kyrgyzstan initiated a wave of Russian activity to promote military and security cooperation with Central Asian states." Lena Jonson, "Russia and Central Asia," in Roy Allison and Lena Jonson, eds., Central Asian Security: The New International Context (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 2001), p. 100.
20. Dmitry Medvedev, cited in "Russia Says It's Ready to Work with U.S. on Afghanistan," RFE/RL, January 23, 2009.
21. See also Andrei Tsygankov, "Asymmetrical Expectations in Washington and Moscow," RFE/RL, February 28, 2009.
22. See Farangis Najibullah, "Central Asia's Era of Cheap Gas Comes to a Close," RFE/RL, January 6, 2009.
23. Interviews with Anna Oberg, Attache, Political and Economic Officer, and Olaf Heidelbach, Attache, Project Manager, Delegation of the European Commission to the Kyrgyz Republic, Bishkek, August 2008.
24. Najibullah, "Central Asia's Era of Cheap Gas Comes to a Close."
25. M. Sharipzhan, "In Central Asia, Water Could Lead To Fire," RFE/RL, July 23, 2008.
26. For example, author interviews with Anna Oberg and Olaf Heidelbach, Delegation of the European Commission to the Kyrgyz Republic; Filaret Motco, Senior Political Officer, and Oleg Semenenko, Senior Human Dimension Officer, OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Center in Bishkek, August 2008
27. Erkinbek Sh. Kasybekov, Program Manager, UNDP (United Nations Development Program) Democratic Governance Program, Bishkek, August 2008.
28. Ahto Lobjakas, "Despite Nabucco Funding Plan, EU's Intentions Remain Muddled," RFE/RL, January 28, 2009.
29. Ariel Cohen, "U.S. Interests and Central Asia Energy Security," Backgrounder, Heritage Foundation, November 15, 2006, online at www.heritage.org/research/russiaandeurasia/upload/bg_1984.pdf.
30. Subodh Atal, "The New Great Game," p. 101.
31. Perovic, "From Disengagement to Active Economic Competition," p. 74.
32. Marcel de Haas, "Russia-China Security Cooperation," Power and Interest News Report, November 27, 2006.
33. CSTO members include Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Russia.
34. Roy Allison, "Strategic Reassertion in Russia's Central Asia Policy," International Affairs, vol. 80, No. 2 (2004), p. 469.
35. Blank, "The Strategic Importance of Central Asia," p. 79.
36. See Viktor Litovkin, "CSTO will merely watch SCO war games," RIA Novosti, February 8, 2007, online at http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070208/60404150-print.html.
37. Allison, "Strategic Reassertion in Russia's Central Asia Policy," p. 473.
38. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, "Dushanbe Declaration of Heads of SCO Member States (August 2008)," online at http://en.sco2009.ru/docs/documents/index.html.
39. Michael Rywkin, "Security and Stability in Central Asia: Differing Interests and Perspectives," American Foreign Policy Interests, vol. 28, No. 3 (June, 2006), p. 196.
40. Gregory Gleason, "The Uzbek Expulsion of US Forces and Realignment in Central Asia," Problems of Post-Communism, vol. 53, No. 2, (March-April, 2006), pp. 53-54.
41. According to Karl Deutsch, a security community is "a group [that] has become integrated, where integration is defined as the attainment of a sense of community, accompanied by formal or informal institutions or practices, sufficiently strong and widespread to assure peaceful change among members of a group with 'reasonable certainty' over a 'long' period of time." See Karl Deutsch et al., Political Community in the North Atlantic Area (New York: Greenwood Press, 1957), p. 5.
42. Emanuel Adler and Michael Barnett, eds., Security Communities (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), p. 30.
43. Rywkin, "Security and Stability in Central Asia," p. 200.
44. Rywkin, "Security and Stability in Central Asia," p. 198.
45. Allison, "Strategic Reassertion in Russia's Central Asia Policy," p. 473.
46. Ibid., p. 482.
47. Marat E. Shaikhutdinov, "Central Asia: Developing the Region in the Vortex of the Geopolitical and Geoeconomic Antagonisms of the World Powers," American Foreign Policy Interests, vol. 29, No. 1 (January, 2007), p. 57.
48. O. Chernov, "At the Heart of New Eurasian Expanse," International Affairs: A Russian Journal of World Politics, Diplomacy and International Relations, special issue on Russia and Central Asia (October, 2004), p. 152.
49. The term "great game" refers to the competition between Tsarist Russia and the British Empire for increasing influence in a common area of interest, where India was the British "crown jewel." The term's first use is attributed to a British officer, Arthur Connolly, in 1829.
50. Kubicek, "Russian Energy Policy in the Caspian Basin," p. 208.
51. Adler, Emanuel and Michael Barnett, eds. Security Communities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
52. Allison, Roy. "Strategic Reassertion in Russia's Central Asia Policy," International Affairs, vol. 80, No. 2 (2004), pp. 277-93.
53. Baev, Pavel. "Assessing Russia's Cards: Three Petty Games in Central Asia," Cambridge Review of International Affairs, vol. 17, No. 2 (July, 2004), pp. 269-83.
54. Blank, Stephen. "Infrastructural Policy and National Strategies in Central Asia: The Russian Example," Central Asian Survey, vol. 23, Nos. 3-4 (December, 2004), pp. 225-48.
55. Blank, Stephen. "The Strategic Importance of Central Asia: An American View," Parameters, vol. 38, No. 1 (Spring, 2008), pp. 73-87.
56. Deutsch, Karl et al. Political Community in the North Atlantic Area. New York: Greenwood Press, 1957.
57. Felgenhauer, Pavel. "Russia is Stronger and More Aggressive," Eurasia Daily Monitor, The Jamestown Foundation, vol. 5, No. 136 (July, 2008).
58. Ferguson, Joseph. "Russian Strategic Thinking toward Central, South, and Southeast Asia," in Gilbert Rozman, Kazuhiko Togo, and Joseph P. Ferguson, eds., Russian Strategic Thought toward Asia. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2006.
59. Freire, Maria Raquel. "The Russian Federation and CIS States," in Edward Kolodziej and Roger Kanet, eds., Consensual or Coercive Hegemon: Either or Neither? American Power and Global Order. Athens, Ga.: University of Georgia Press, 2008, pp. 155-75.
60. Gleason, Gregory. "The Uzbek Expulsion of US Forces and Realignment in Central Asia," Problems of Post-Communism, vol. 53, No. 2 (March-April, 2006), pp. 49-60.
61. Hosking, Geoffrey. Russia and the Russians: A History. Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2003.
62. Jonson, Lena. "Russia and Central Asia," in Roy Allison and Lena Jonson, eds., Central Asian Security: The New International Context. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2001.
63. Kortunov, S. V. "The Fate of Russia: Several Observations on 'New' Russian Identity," in Gregory Freidin, ed., Russia at the End of the Twentieth Century: Culture and Its Horizons in Politics and Society. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2000.
64. Kubicek, Paul. "Russian Energy Policy in the Caspian Basin," World Affairs, vol. 166, No. 4 (Spring, 2004), pp. 207-17.
65. Light, Margot. "In Search of an Identity: Russian Foreign Policy and the End of Ideology," Communist Studies and Transition Politics, vol. 19, No. 3 (2003), pp. 42-59.
66. Perovic, Jeronim. "From Disengagement to Active Economic Competition: Russia's Return to the South Caucasus and Central Asia," Demokratizatsiya, No. 1 (Winter, 2005), pp. 61-85.
67. Rywkin, Michael. "Security and Stability in Central Asia: Differing Interests and Perspectives," American Foreign Policy Interests, vol. 28, No. 3 (June, 2006), pp. 193-217.
68. Shaikhutdinov, Marat E. "Central Asia: Developing the Region in the Vortex of the Geopolitical and Geoeconomic Antagonisms of the World Powers," American Foreign Policy Interests, vol. 29, No. 1 (January, 2007), pp. 45-58.
69. Shevtsova, Lilia. Putin's Russia. Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2005.
70. Slezneva, Ludmilla. "Post-Soviet Russian Foreign Policy: Between Doctrine and Pragmatism," in Rick Fawn, ed., Realignments in Russian Foreign Policy. London: Frank Cass, 2003.