Regionalization of Russian foreign and security policy: the case of Kursk Oblast

Abstract

Layout by Marco Zanoli This study deals with different aspects of Kursk Oblast’s international involvement. The author looks at the region’s interests and options in the spheres of foreign economy and international trade and outlines the various security problems arising on the Russian-Ukrainian border. Special emphasis is put on the region's relations with the federal center in the foreign and security policy realm, the foreign contacts of Kursk Oblast to neighboring Ukrainian regions, and to other foreign regions and states in the CIS space and beyond. The common border with Ukraine makes the region a natural participant of all bilateral projects between Moscow and Kiev – whether in the field of transportation, ecology, agriculture or energy. As Ukraine is regaining importance for Russian foreign policy, it can be anticipated that Kursk, like other Russian provinces bordering Ukraine, will have a role to play in a possible rapprochement between the two countries. Regionalization of Russian Foreign and Security Policy: The Case of Kursk Oblast WORKING PAPER NO.10