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http://interaffairs.ru
Author : A. Lukin
Director, Center for the East Asian and Shanghai Cooperation Organization Studies, Moscow State In-
stitute (University) of international Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation,
Head, Department of International Relations, National Research University-Higher School of Eco-
nomics, Doctor of Science (History)
IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS of 2015, political analysts
within and beyond Russia actively discussed its pivot to Asia,
specifically, whether such rebalancing of interests was justified or
not and whether the great expectations corresponded to the re-
sults of Russia's Realpolitik. A larger part of discussions centered
on Russia's major Asian partner - China.
Russia's pivot toward Asia has become a reality generated by both
political and economic interests. And even if it does not develop
as fast as we would like and is accompanied by certain difficulties
that come at a price, it has already started, and we can hardly ex-
pect any reversal in this area.
This rather low-quality information flow has triggered a much
more serious discussion. When reviewing the results of Russian
policy toward Asia, a number of political analysts have taken a more balanced approach, con-
taining, however, a great amount of criticism.
BEHIND A WAVE OF CRITICISM against Russia's pivot toward Asia one can easily discern
practical interests of various political and economic groups inside the country. On the one hand,
all those who have business interests and property in the West, have been trying to prove a harm-
ful and risky nature of any cooperation with the "unpredictable" and "self-seeking" East. On
the other, proponents of a more "nationally oriented" domestic policy have been striving to re-
move the present government, which they regard as a successor to the pro-Western course of
Gaidar-Chubais. Mindful of the above, we should, however, concentrate on examining the
essence of the aforementioned arguments.
The framework for promoting relations with such countries as China and India was not primarily
built on meeting Russia's economic interests, but rather on finding partners that would see the
world's future in a similar way and support the idea of multipolarity as an alternative to the
unipolar world where the West would be solving all the problems at its own sole discretion. The
BRICS states' striving to change the mode of operation of some international economic insti-
tutions and strengthen their positions is also primarily linked to their geopolitical ambitions.
To sum up, Russia's pivot toward Asia has become a reality generated by both political and eco-
nomic interests. And even if it does not develop as fast as we would like and is accompanied by
certain difficulties that come at a price, it has already started, and we can hardly expect any
reversal in this area.
Russia's Pivot Toward Asia: Myth or Reality?