Russia has it all

A new Brookings Institution paper by Vladimir Kolotov looks at Russia's recent revival in East Asia. Here are a few of its findings:

Vietnam is central to any balance of power in East Asia. The Vietnamese have historically been good at playing foreign powers off against one another, and benefiting from their struggles.

The three main players in this case are Russia, China, and the United States. "So far China has acted more successfully than the others" [...] and "some recognize that 'Vietnam will never want to be seen as part of a containment policy against China" through a "colour revolution" strategy or any other American moves.

"In this context Russia is the only involved country which never invaded Vietnam and has always maintained a balanced policy vis-à-vis Hanoi." In addition, "[a]s East Asia is the fastest developing region, its dependence on crude oil will rise in the foreseeable future. This has prompted Northeast and Southeast Asian countries to display a growing interest in energy cooperation with Russia."

On the other hand, "[t]he most important strategic goal of Russia’s foreign policy in East Asia is to become involved in regional integration, primarily with neighbor countries and traditional allies, in order to have more opportunities to develop East Siberia and the Russian Far East. [...] At the same time, Russia should promote its interests strictly and avoid any possible confrontation or destabilization, especially along its borders, as well as in the Korean peninsula and the Taiwan Strait."

On the whole, "[i]t is supposed in Asia that Russia does not pose a threat to any country in the region and could strengthen regional security and stability by its role in international affairs. The Russian Federation does not need any kind of conflicts and does not have plans to overthrow local political regimes through “peaceful transformation” or “color revolutions.” Russia therefore is considered in East and Southeast Asia as a reliable and responsible partner which is open to honest cooperation with all countries on the basis of mutually profitable economic relations without confrontation and ideological stereotypes."

Basically, Russia has it all because it doesn't need much.

Photo credits: Russia's Asia pipelines, from Russiablog.org.