Russian in International Relations (Essay Sample)

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The commonwealth of independent states is a group of states that work together on a large list of mutual issues including defense, foreign policy and economics. This group of nations formed when the Soviet Union, now known as Russia dissolved completely in 1991. The commonwealth of independent states possesses nominal powers in coordination of trade, security, lawmaking and finance. The group continues to integrate further with the intention of creating a common market, for instance by the creation of the Eurasian Community. Russia for a while has attempted to maintain a presence in this region even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. These nations heavily depend on resources like oil which they buy from mostly Russian owned firms. The prices of these resources are heavily controlled in Moscow. Russia also continues its push to make Russian an official language in the countries of the commonwealth of independent states. This is evidently to increase and maintain its influence.
These nations that lie between the eastern border of the European Union and the western border of Russia are the most important source of disagreement between Russia and the west. They have spawned a big geopolitical competition for influence between the two economic giants. Russia has even adopted policies and military doctrines that label NATO as a threat to justify the right to intervene in the issues of the nations in the Commonwealth of independent states belt. Russia is more determined than ever to stop western influence in this region. This is evidenced by the ‘small’ war fought between the Georgian security forces and Russia-backed secessionist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The geopolitical root cause of this war was Georgia’s desire to align itself with the west and Russia’s determination to stop it. And to date, Russia has not abdicated it’s determination to keep these countries under its influence and a safe distance from western influence. This has resulted in instability in this region and a surge in separatists. This is the reason why the European Union and Russia should find a common ground on how they handle the issues of this region for the good of the people in these countries.
Russia, being at an advantage over the commonwealth of independent states nations can use its economic and technological strength to help these nations. Currently, Russia’s main focus is resource extraction, control of trade and power in the region. If it is to maintain the desired influence in the region, Russia has to switch the way it pushes to attain this goal. Being closest to the region than the west in terms of geography, culture and socio-political structures, there is a higher chance of attaining greater influence than other competitors only if methods and policies acceptable to the people of these states are employed. It has been noted that many people from the Caucasus region go to Russia to seek jobs and economic opportunities. This is an indicator that Russia is in a position to help these nations with technical assistance to economic reforms. Technical training and dispensing of skills and technology, followed with industrial investment and assistance could greatly help the people in these nations.
The European Union has gone ahead to introduce the Technical Aid for the Commonwealth of Independent States, to aid their transition to democratic market-oriented states. The program, initiated in 1991, aims at giving technical assistance to these nations by the European Union, which remains the single largest donor of foreign assistance in the world. This act most definitely drives the increase in influence of the European Union in this region and Russia, to achieve its objectives should pick a leaf from the strategies employed by the European Union. This way, Russia can effectively counter the growing influence of the west in the commonwealth of independent states without having to resort to military option that lead to destabilization of the region. With economic, industrial and technical assistance to the region, Russia can be able to win the influence and supremacy wars if managed well. The people of this region can also get an opportunity to live peacefully in pursuit of their dreams and life goals.
The European Union on the other hand has shown interest in the growth and development of these states into democratic market based countries. Ever since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Eastern European nations and South-Caucasus region had little or no experience in democratic rule. The Union has therefore resorted to help these nations develop a culture of democracy in their institutions. The most effective way to achieve democratic development in regions that never had the system and structure of leadership in society is to start from the bottom up, which is the strategy favored by the European Union. Non-governmental players and private sector organizations can be used to establish a base. This base over time would allow for the adoption the communities should also be heavily involved so that a democratic culture is built from bottom up. This is because instilling democratic principles in existing leaders who don’t possess the virtue wouldn’t be easy. It is only through democracy that leadership and decision making can be monitored, questioned and checked. This way, economic strengthening and technical assistance can be more easily achieved.
The European Union should also be aware of Russia’s suspicion of its presence in the region. Russia views the west with suspicion and as mentioned earlier, it has labelled the NATO as a threat. This has led to the interfe...