Russia's Post-Cold War Security Policy in Northeast Asia

Abstract

IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE COLD WAR, all states have found it difficult to adapt to a rapidly changing, uncertain security situation in East Asia. This is particularly true for Russia. Russia is being forced to make this transition at a time when its own power is shrinking. Russian leaders are preoccupied with domestic crises and with urgent foreign policy prob lems in other ex-Soviet republics. This leaves them little time to think about East Asia. In Russia, security perceptions are changing. Traditional security concerns, which focused on protection against external military threats, are declining in importance. Increasingly, Russians are preoccupied with domestic sources of instability and insecurity. Economic concerns increasingly influence security policy. As Russians come to feel more vulnerable and beleaguered, there is growing concern about protecting Russia's autonomy and its capacity to forge an independent foreign policy. Russia is in the process of being transformed from an authoritarian political system and command economy to a new type of political and economic system. There is a lack of consensus regarding the direction in which Russia should be heading. The lack of consensus about the nature of Russia's domestic system affects perceptions of its external environment. These various domestic factors have had a growing influence on Russian security perceptions and policy in Northeast Asia.