Modern Russia in the system of international relations faces many problems. Almost all of them are inherited from the Soviet past. Problems concern all spheres of international relations: political, economic, cultural, etc. In the article we will try to understand what positions Russia occupies in the system of modern international relations. Let's start from the first days of the emergence of a new state - the Russian Federation.
Background of the collapse of the USSR
Russia began to develop in the system of international political relations after the Soviet Union collapsed into separate independent republics. In scale, this event became a real geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century. I would like to note that by the 80s of the twentieth century, communist ideology had already lost its former attractiveness for most of the Soviet population. In the world, this happened much earlier. So, in the 60-70s. of the last century, a wave of anti-communist actions swept in the Warsaw Pact countries. It is a mistake to say that the US State Department was involved in them. The Soviet intelligence and counterintelligence services skillfully identified all agents of the West, were able to protect both their citizens and the citizens of the allies of the socialist camp from their ideological influence. People themselves began to become disillusioned with the ideology of the Soviet regimes. The main reason was the lag of the USSR from the West in the decisive areas of the scientific and technological revolution, which was already impossible to hide. It is also a mistake to say that our citizens “sold for jeans and chewing gum” to capitalism, as patriots who are nostalgic for the Soviet past like to do this. The quality of life of the Europeans, indeed, was much better than the citizens who “defeated fascism”.
"Time bomb"
Russia in the system of modern international relations received a new legal status on June 12, 1990. On this day, the Supreme Council of the RSFSR proclaimed sovereignty over the USSR.
The tragedy in this for us is that in fact we were the first to leave the country that our ancestors had been gathering for so long. The USSR was formed only in the 20s of the twentieth century. However, this was due to the fact that almost all the republics that entered the USSR (except Poland, the Baltic states and Finland) were internally ready for a new unification, as they maintained cultural and economic ties between themselves after the collapse of a single empire. Lenin and Trotsky made the main geopolitical mistake: they divided the country according to the national principle, which would inevitably lead to national chauvinism and separatism in the future. Recall that JV Stalin was an opponent of such a union, and President VV Putin called this process “the laying of a time bomb”, which “exploded” after the collapse of socialist ideology at the end of the 20th century.
New political status: Russia is the successor of the USSR
So, our country began its new history after 1990. From this moment, the topic “Russia in the system of international relations” should be considered. After the collapse of the USSR, we were faced with the need for geopolitical self-determination, which affects positioning in the geopolitical space, the choice of civilizational landmarks, the vector of foreign policy, the economic development model, and others. The new state — the Russian Federation — proclaimed itself a “partner” and “friend” of the West, a democratic a country that will “respect and recognize all governments and existing regimes” in the world. However, we have preserved the traditions of the Soviet past:
- Positioning itself as a multinational and multicultural state. For the first time in its history, Russia could have developed as a nation-state. The percentage of Russians in the new state is about 80%, and in some regions up to 99% of the population. This is more than in the rest of the “national republics” of the former USSR at the time of the collapse. Many other nation-states cannot boast of such a percentage of the titular nation of the number of inhabitants. However, we deliberately abandoned this status, paying tribute to the imperial and Soviet past. It is no coincidence that the first president, B. N. Yeltsin, began all his appeals to the people with the phrase: “Dear Russians, ” this emphasized the status of citizenship, not a nation. By the way, the term "Russian" has not taken root in our society, giving way to a "citizen of Russia."
- Permanent member status of the United Nations Security Council. Our country got it because Russia declared itself the successor of the USSR.
The latter circumstance gives us significant leverage in the international arena. More on this in the following.
UN Security Council - an instrument of influence on international politics
Permanent membership in the UN Security Council gives reason to say that Russia occupies a leading place in the system of international relations. Briefly list the benefits of this status:
- Our representative at the UN can veto any UN resolution. In fact, without our consent, any major international event - war, sanctions against other countries, the formation of new states, etc. - will be considered illegal from the point of view of international law.
- Russia can initiate many issues on the agenda of the UN Security Council, etc.
Unfortunately, many international processes bypass the UN, which gives reason to believe that the organization is in crisis and blame it for its inability to solve international political problems. Russia in the system of international relations no longer plays the significant role that the “single and powerful” Union once played.
Factors of Russia's influence on the situation in the world
Permanent membership in the UN Security Council is not the only instrument of influence. Russia in the system of international relations occupies one of the key provisions due to the following circumstances:
- Territory. Our country is the largest in terms of territory and the seventh most populated state.
- Location Russia has a favorable geopolitical position in the center of Eurasia. With the proper conduct of foreign policy, it is possible to form the most profitable economic transit routes between the "Asian tigers" - China, South Korea and Japan - and the Old World.
- Raw materials. The share of the Russian Federation in world reserves: oil - 10-12%, iron - 25%, potassium salts - 31%, gas - 30-35%, etc. Our country can affect world prices, global mineral production, etc.
- The powerful nuclear potential inherited from the USSR and others.
What is the place of Russia in the system of international relations? All of the above factors make us understand that our country is an influential trans-regional power and a global nuclear superpower. The anti-Russian sanctions of the West, as well as its political pressure on our country, are temporary non-constructive. This is not stated by Russian official authorities, but by leaders of leading Western countries. We hope that the situation will normalize in the near future. Let's try to simulate a possible future based on the geopolitical self-determination of Russia.
Options for the future development of Russia
For our country, two alternative development scenarios are possible:
- It will take the innovative path of development, carry out comprehensive modernization, which will lead to the establishment of a democratic regime.
- Russia will become a factor in destabilizing a significant part of Eurasia, which will lead to the establishment of a totalitarian regime.
There can be no third option. We are either developing and becoming an advanced developed country, or we are completely isolated from the rest of the world. The second option completely repeats the fate of the USSR. Unfortunately, many independent economists and political scientists note that we are on the second path and have become "a field of anarchy and chaos that spreads to neighboring regions." To the traditional "Soviet" problems of technical backwardness were added new, previously unprecedented: the imposition of Orthodoxy, chauvinism and nationalism at the state level, which is manifested through the construction of the so-called "Russian world".
Russia in the system of international economic relations
We move away from the political sphere and analyze the economic one. Russia in the system of international financial relations began to develop after it entered the international stock market. This event, of course, was a positive development for international trade, but, on the contrary, it had a negative effect on us. The reason is that we were not ready for a sharp transition to the stage of "wild capitalism" after "socialism with a human face." Gorbachev’s “perestroika”, although it gave rise to the first rudiments of a market economy, the bulk of the population was confused in the new conditions. The “shock therapy” of our democratic government, which hit the pockets of ordinary citizens, aggravated the situation. Hunger and poverty are symbols of the era of transition. This continued until the financial crisis of July-August 1998. By declaring default, we have actually ruined many large foreign investors. Nevertheless, after these events, our country began to develop in the spirit of a capitalist power.
Problems of economic globalization for Russia
The creation of economic freedom for capital, together with the political isolation of our country in the international arena, leads to a huge problem for the economic development of the state: there is a “flight of capital”. In other words, many entrepreneurs are not interested in the long-term development of Russia. Their goal is to quickly make a fortune and withdraw all profits to foreign banks. Thus, the outflow of capital in 2008 amounted to 133.9 billion dollars, in 2009 - 56.9 billion dollars, in 2010 - 33.6 billion dollars, etc. Anti-Russian external sanctions and internal “tightening” nuts ”only strengthened these processes.
The conclusion can be made disappointing: the transition to a market economy for Russia turned out to be absolutely unprofitable. Only high hydrocarbon prices at the beginning of the 21st century created the illusion of development and prosperity. It all ended when their prices fell back to their previous levels. Economists say that more such rises should not be expected in connection with the development of alternative energy sources.
Further in the article, we recall a little history and consider similar processes in different historical periods.
Russia in the 17th century
Russia in the system of international relations of the 17th century led an active foreign policy. Its goal is to “collect” the original Russian lands that were transferred to Poland. In 1569, the Union of Lublin was signed, according to which Poland and the Principality of Lithuania are united in a new state - the Commonwealth. The Orthodox Ukrainian and Belarusian populations in the new state were subjected to triple oppression: national, religious and feudal. As a result, this resulted in large Cossack-peasant riots. After the largest of them - under the leadership of B. Khmelnitsky - Russia enters the war with the Commonwealth.
On January 8, 1654, a Council (Council) was held in the city of Pereyaslavl, at which a decision was made to reunite Ukraine and Russia. After that, the whole XVII century, our country defended the right to these territories during the constant wars with Poland, Crimea, the Ottoman Empire and even Sweden. Only at the end of the XVII century did these countries recognize Kiev and the entire left-bank Ukraine as citizens of Russia, having concluded several peace treaties.
Russia in the system of international relations: 18th century
In the XVIII century, Russia became a powerful European state. This is due to the names of the “Great Rulers”: Peter the Great, Elizabeth I the Great and Catherine II the Great. Russia in the XVIII century achieved the following results:
- Got access to the Black and Baltic Seas. For this purpose, there were long military conflicts with Sweden and Turkey.
- Own industry began to develop at an accelerated pace, there was a refusal to import raw materials, many industrial goods and weapons.
- Russia has become the largest exporter of grain.
- Our country has finally annexed all the lands of Russia. This became possible after the sections (there were several) of the Commonwealth.
Unrealized goals in the foreign policy of the XVIII century
It is worth noting that the plans of our rulers in the XVIII century were grandiose:
- The creation of a single Orthodox European state, which would include all the Orthodox peoples of Europe.
- Exit to the Mediterranean Sea. For this it was necessary to capture two Turkish straits - the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles.
- Russia was to become a world cultural center, as well as a leading center of world autocracy. That is why our country hosted all the "reigning persons" of France after their overthrow during the French bourgeois revolution, and also assumed the "duty to punish the upstart" - Napoleon Bonaparte.
