When the Soviet Union broke up, Russia lost its power everywhere - except in its former imperial colonies surrounding the Caspian Sea. There, it participated in local civil wars and strangled economies in order to exert power. Then in 1996, Washington decided to challenge Russia in this turf, which it sought to convert into a pro-western swath of land straight through the center of Russia and Iran. Its instrument was a curious one - a 1,000-mile oil pipeline connecting the Mediterranean and Caspian seas. When the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline went on line in summer 2006, it broke Russia’s economic monopoly in the region. And it did so in the nick of time, just as an assertive Russia has surged back onto the world scene.
Posted by Steve LeVine, Oct 02, 2007 09:24 AM
internationalstrategy.org wrote on Oct 15, 04:26 am
I enjoyed this. I wonder if Russia is as open to using the wide variety of tools of foreign policy that the US does. Would Russia use aid or foreign assistance to maintain alliances like the US does? Obviously, Russia has used military support to help regimes it likes and damage those it doesn't. I bring this up because the image of Putin and Russian foreign policy projects inflexibility, and a reliance on strength. Is this reality? If so, this is one disadvantage in playing the Game that Russia has.
Steve wrote on Oct 15, 10:28 pm
Hi Jeremy, one of the interesting developments of the last couple of years is the new juxtaposition of U.S. and Russian foreign policy in Europe. Russia is using economic leverage, while the U.S. is relying on military might (attempting to reassert itself into the European equation through the installation of the missile defense shield in the Czech Republic and Poland). Best Steve