Russia in Asia

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

"Russia in Asia” will examine Russia’s struggle to define its relationship as an Asian power and attempt to identify how Moscow might operate in a geopolitical environment that centers on the Indo-Pacific. Following the dramatic reaction of the West to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian leaders appear to be calculating that a re-alignment to the “East” is economically and politically necessary. To what extent is this policy likely to succeed? We will begin by examining this idea “the East” in Russian history and foreign policy. The people and strategic assets of Russian Asia are the foundation of Moscow’s profile as a global actor. Russia and China are neighbors who may profess the closest of economic and political relations, but their history is one of strategic rivalry, punctuated by fleeting periods of cooperation. Japan and Russia have never proven able to reconcile; why not? Central Asia was ruled directly by Moscow for over a century, and the legacy of colonialism remains a powerful factor in their relations. How did democratic India develop such a strong security connection to the Soviet Union/Russian Federation, and is that relationship likely to survive, or even thrive, in the years to come? Is rogue state North Korea Russia’s ally of last resort?