Supporting Compatriots Abroad: Failures and Accomplishments

... indirectly advance the homeland's national interests beyond its borders. In addition, these communities may become a demographic resource if the state encourages repatriation of its nationals. Russia is also increasingly taking up this mechanism in its "soft power" practices. The Compatriot Resettlement Program covers Russian and Russian-speaking diasporas all over the world, but its potential is greatest within the post-Soviet space due to the great numbers of compatriots and their cultural proximity to Russia. The program has been repeatedly criticized for lack of scale and organizational and conceptual errors, but it continues to operate nonetheless. Historical Context Russia first faced the problem of mass ...