... has led much ink to be spilled and many keys to be worn-down. For many, this phenomenon was of great interest naturally due to China’s huge size and its equally large potential; especially, in contrast to the economically and politically stagnating ... ... of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Tatiana Mitrova. We discuss: sinicisation, geopolitical mistrust, energy deals, the Central Asian Ace & more! Please, feel free to comment & enjoy!
Personal Note:
This is the second post in a two-part special ...
... hope to share some of the findings and research conducted. In this first post of two-part special, a Europe-Russia focused question and answer session is outlined with Dr. Tatiana Mitrova, whereas in the subsequent second post, coming later, we look at China-Russia.
Europe-Russia ‘Special Deal Severed’:
In normal day-to-day life Europe has a stable and diversified supply structure. It is currently doing enough to diversify its supplies so it does not undermine its energy security,...
... Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, Moscow is likely to stop looking West and instead go East – as soaring trade levels with China already foreshadow.
However, Russia remains a European power – part of Europe’s non-West alongside Turkey ... ... the Kremlin’s determination to preserve Russian’s “sphere of privileged interests” in the Caucasus and Central Asia are palpable. In the South and East of its vast country, Moscow acts more like a neo-imperial power. Like Beijing ...
... Masaryk University. Their recent article evaluates the difference between policy ambitions shown by Russia and the official “Energy Strategy to 2030” (ES-2030) publication; released in 2009. M. Mareš and M. Laryš argue that China’s rise is creating a great opportunity for Russia as an extra energy market, but at the same time, current conditions could quickly alter into economic as well as political risks. Both countries want to make sure that their interests prevail,...
... affairs"; this could be just rhetoric, but it still aids to dispel some peoples worry that Russia's Chinese neighbour could be a threat, while also calling for the final end of USA's hegemony (See: SCMP). Albeit, it is hard to see China not taking the lead regionally and globally in the future as it clearly dominates, particularly in the BRICs (economically and politically). The days of it being the young brother of Russia, are unfortunately gone (See: TheDiplomat). With the recent ...
... some years in Central Asia, in particularly in Tajikistan, due to the civil war there and the fact that Russia was acting as a peacekeeping force. So its overall military interest is to continuously have a foothold in the region. However, the role of China in the region, the American war in Afghanistan since 2001 and the European Union which has been gaining an interest there since 2006-2007 in an attempt to exploit Central Asia’s need to diversify its energy exports – have impacted upon Russia’s position. Moreover, the E.U. in particular wants access to Turkmen gas and Kazakh oil and gas, as a way to diversify its energy imports and rely less on Russia.
However, the Central Asian states will remain allies of Russia. The ties between the two regions are so close – ...
... cars are a lot more powerful today than ever, but due to new efficiency designs, they only require an equivalent to the notably less powerful cars of the 1960’s to 1980’s. Moreover, albeit global energy intensity has fallen globally (even China and Russia has improved) due to technological innovation within efficiency, nonetheless it is unlikely to fall further as the opportunity cost for the next stage of efficiency is too high. Lastly, in regards to developing economies the demand is ...
