Russia's Geo-economic Future; The Security Implications of Russia's Political and Economic Structure

摘要

Russia's political-economic structure is a neo-Tsarist patrimonial one that fuses together power and position in traditional, even medieval ways. As a result its economy is hobbled by pervasive systemic corruption, misrule, and chronic sub-optimal outcomes. Of necessity these outcomes have a profound impact on Russian security and defense agendas. This article focuses on the relationship between these pathologies of Russian governance and the security and defense situation in regard to Russia's positions in the Russian Far East (RFE) and in comparison with China. It argues that these security and defense outcomes arising out of these pathologies of misrule are undermining Russia's basis for independent action in the Far East and its ability to assume not only a strong security and defense posture in that region, but also its ability to play an independent role in Asia.