Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-tn8tq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-04T00:23:59.280Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Russia's Search for an Enhanced Role in Southeast Asia

from EPILOGUE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2015

Paradorn Rangsimaporn
Affiliation:
St. Peter's College, University of Oxford
Get access

Summary

INTRODUCTION

This epilogue examines how Russia perceives Southeast Asia and the potential roles it has tried to play in the sub-region. Russia aspires to become a more significant player in the sub-region as well as in the wider Asia-Pacific region as befits its great power aspirations. This was especially the case under President Putin when foreign policy was based on pragmatism, aimed at transforming Russia into a “normal” great power through economic modernization and development, as the foundation for restoring Russia's greatness and relevance to world affairs and that of neighbouring regions, including East Asia. This foreign policy approach has generally been continued by President Medvedev. The paper will also examine the different roles Russia has tried to play in Southeast Asia.

Firstly, Russia as a “balancer” in the regional balance of power where ASEAN plays a leading role in regionalism, is a rising centre of power in a multi-polar Asia, and is seeking for other powers to help balance the growing influence of China. Secondly, the ASEAN market holds much potential for Russia's economic role in the sub-region, including through the utilization of its primary economic assets — arms and energy — and also for further expansion and diversification of economic ties, including through cooperation in science and technology. Lastly, ASEAN is a diversified entity, whose members Russia assigns different levels of priority to and holds different opportunities for Russia to play an enhanced role in Southeast Asia.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Southeast Asia's significance for Russia has historically been limited. Even when Tsarist Russia's expansion into the Far East reached its peak in the latter half of the nineteenth century, it was the countries of Northeast Asia which lay next to the Russian Far Eastern territories that drew Russia's immediate attention. Southeast Asia, however, was seen as too distant for Russia's strategic interests, apart from the need to secure shipping lanes for naval and supply vessels from the Black Sea to Russia's Far Eastern port at Vladivostok, especially in light of the other European powers’ colonial expansionism in this sub-region.

Type
Chapter
Information
ASEAN-Russia
Foundations and Future Prospects
, pp. 325 - 344
Publisher: ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
Print publication year: 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×