Introduction
This chapter will introduce the research study. In other words, it will shortly discuss about the topic from different perspectives. For example, a thorough background to the study will be dealt with in the introductory part.
In addition, this chapter will investigate why Russia has had the desire to spread its influence to CIS countries. Besides, there will also be importance to talk about political issues that have been surrounding control of wealth among the CIS countries (Tochitskaya & Lucio 18).
One of the reasons why it will be important to consider the aspect of wealth control in these regions is because there are few studies that have successfully explored this area as far as politics of Russian investments on CIS regions is concerned.
Therefore, this study will investigate the same by providing examples from several industrial sectors. It will also discuss some of the motivating factors for business investments in some of the selected countries that will be put under study.
Literature review
Chapter two of this research study will discuss expansion of Russia into nations of Commonwealth of Independent States and how these nations have been affected politically. This chapter will also consider how Russian trade relations have affected political relations of CIS countries with Russia.
Some of the sources that will be used to support this chapter will be chosen based how Russia and CIS countries have been relating with each other (Tochitskaya & Lucio 22).The chapter will further look into other pieces of literature that have talked about studies on how expansion of Russia into commonwealth independent states has contributed to its infrastructure, population, energy, governance and economy.
In line with this, the chapter will consider how the border region has continued to be an issue between Russia and CIS countries. As a matter of fact, international relations still remain as center of focus among the regions that will be addressed in the study.
Even as Russia expands to commonwealth nations, there seems to be no agreement at all. Even though such expansions have been witnessed in the past, the emerging challenges of 21st century especially those touching on regional or global security are yet to be debated openly. This is because the same issues have continued to raise questions on security and international relations in the region.
However, some studies have argued that in spite of prevailing concerns on global security, political and economic fairness of the CIS regions has continued for long. This chapter will also investigate past agreements between Russia and other CIS countries. It will further analyze how recent agreements on international region between various states have impacted Russia politically (Appadurai 67).
It will look at earlier studies on recent agreements between CIS and Russia have contributed to putting to an end minor border disputes in the region and how the agreement contributes to future well being of the region. Border disputes may be to some extent, perceived as both politically and economically driven.
The case study of Russia and CIS nations shows that while both nations are scoring relatively high in terms of economic performance, the desire to be superior politically is also a growing issue of concern among the states that are not at peace with other (Tochitskaya 9).
Moreover, every single challenge faced by Russia and made worse by CIS countries are dealt with to put a check on population drop in these regions and how the same contributes to political conflicts. Statistical analyses that have been supported by studies and official figures will have to be employed in determining the rate of decline at workplace.
Furthermore, developments in politics in Russia and CIS regions will be highlighted in this chapter (Baraboshkin 351). The same chapter will also discuss economic power in the region and its impact on politics in Russia (Izyumov & JVahaly 88).The same section will further discuss debts run by Russian government and its agencies in their desire to set up infrastructures such those catering for energy provision (Amurskiy 123).
Finally, discussion on the extent or level at which the local population in RFE feel that they have been disconnected from both leadership and effectiveness of the same will be examined in details. The same literature will be used to identify whether the Russia has great impact and credibility of Moscow in the region (Kappeler 123).
The last section on the chapter entitled “changing nation and society” will present impacts on the trends and changes on existing border populations. Hence to approach this exhaustively, the chapter will begin by addressing border conflicts that has existed in these regions (Shevtsova 122).
Collected data and statistics from the region will then be compared before being contrasted to determine the scope and the impact of integration in the region. In order to achieve detailed results that can be easily and thoroughly compared.
Some of the subjects that will be contrasted and compared will include public opinion, living standards, governance in addition to analysis of various economic sectors that CIS nations and Russian nationals are involved in along the borders. The later will also be discussed alongside minor and major impacts of political developments not only Russia but among other CIS countries.
A summary of the relevant debate in the literature
Russia has emerged as one of the major countries that export capital to CIS countries. The outward foreign direct investments (OFDI) of Russia have grown drastically since the end of Cold War. Although Russian OFDI to CIS pales in comparison to that of United States or European Union countries such as Germany, UK and France, in 2004, Russia exported over $ 99 billion in OFDI stock.
The CIS countries have been used as launching pads for majority of Russian firms to gain entrance to the international markets (Baraboshkin 351). In many instances, the infrastructure and energy assets held by Russian firms in the CIS region tend to be contentious in nature.
Moreover, Russian firms tend to be central players in a number of CIS markets while in high income economies, they frequently hold lesser market shares and control in respective sectors. However, attention should be given to the fact that there has been significant rise in investments by Russian Firms in the CIS region (Krug 632).
Consequently, the Russian Federal State Service, the OFDI investment to CIS countries in 2004 was over $ 710 million. On the other hand, the recent years the Russian telecommunications and energy companies have invested in CIS countries with the value of individual transactions surpassing the aggregate investment from Russia.
This inconsistency is attributed to the fact that key Russian firms invest overseas via offshore investment units which are omitted from the balance of payment records of the Russian Federation. Belarus and Ukraine, some of the CIS countries, have received the largest capital investment from Russia in the past years. Russia was the seventh biggest investor in Belarus with aggregate FDI stock of over $540 million (Amurskiy 123).
The motivations behind Russian Investments in the CIS
The decision by Russia to expand its Capital investments in CIS will depend on the influence in these countries. For instance, during the 2008 economic crisis, Moscow offered a number of CIS countries loans and grants to stabilize their fragile economies in return for economic and political rewards. For instance, Russia granted Belarus $ 2 billion as loan to make it stable.
In return, Belarus agreed to form a military air defense system agreement with Russia (Kappeler 123). The motivations behind Russian firm’s foreign investments in CIS are therefore different. Russian energy resources are greatly used by Moscow as a foreign policy tool to control her political and economical wellbeing in the CIS region.
For example, Gazprom and UES have attained major grip in the CIS countries as a result of intergovernmental accords. However, it is worth to note that Russian OFDI investment to CIS is also driven by the lucrative market in these countries that have notably lower entry obstacles than the Western and US market (Amurski y 123).
In addition, it will also be necessary to mention and perhaps emphasize the state of international relations that has hitherto existed among various states in CIS regions. If this case will be important to mention or discuss, then the history Russia will have to be analyzed.
At this point, it is important to note that the two aforementioned countries have for a long time dominated world history with their empire building and conquest characteristic. For example, since 1950s, tsarist Russia has been eager to distract the new developments and global attention away from conquests that they were defeated in Crimea which afterwards turned eastwards.
Furthermore, this was not the first time for Russia to direct its tactics on the orient traders in Europe. Therefore, the present study is further justified on the basis that Russia has seen itself as part of an empire and nation put together and driven by aspiration and desire to spread civilization not only to CIS countries but also to other parts in Pacific regions.
Methodology
Due to the fact that the study is most importantly based on the issue of political and international relations, methodology that will be applied will be grounded on the on the decisions made by various Russian leaders in regard to eastward expansion (Seltser 19). Hence, international relations especially touching on politics will be of importance.
As a result, due consideration will be made on the basis of existing bilateral relations between china and Russia (Anon 25). Additionally, this is due to the fact that the future of the region may not be secured by bilateral integrations and agreements, but rather impacted as a result of internal developments.
Therefore, based on this fact, the study will further focus on statistics and data via demographically available sources in addition to political and economic analysis of the existing structures, resources and abilities of identified regions. Moreover, in giving analysis of the Trans border regions,
In terms of economic and demographic aspects, the study will further make use of existing trends and population figures (Izyumov & JVahaly 85). This will be sourced from western and Russian sources in line with scientifically modified studies on how to handle demography as an entity in international relations studies.
Furthermore, secondary sources will be identified from majority of available journals in addition to analytical journalism obtained from mainstream media covering international and political relations in the region (Mishina 518).
The study will further outline pictures of the region using myriad and variety of sources derived from Russian media. Both state and private owned media sources will be used as potential part of methodology in gathering necessary data (Keylor 133). Some of the source materials will also be drawn from contemporary and credible Russian scholars based in the region.
Findings
Chapter four of the study will comprise of findings and data drawn from the methodology used. The same will be presented using diagrams, charts and figures.
Discussions and conclusions
Chapter five will give a critical analysis of the findings in line with available literature on how Russian ventures have contributed to internationalization of ventures. Investment trends will be further compared with the findings of the study. The findings will be used to discuss how Russian investments opportunities in CIS countries have impacted on international and political relations (Baraboshkin 351).
Recommendations
This chapter will deal with recommendations which will have been obtained from the whole study. For example, some of the recommendations will include how political and international relations in Russia and other CIS regions can be improved (Bassin 112).
Works Cited
Amurskiy, Statisticheskiy. Statistical Yearbook of Amur Oblast Amurstat, 2008. 22nd Aug. 2011. Web.
Anon. Russia’s oil exports to non-CIS countries up 4.2% in 11 months. Russian Financial Control Monitor 2010. 14 Sep. 2011. Web.
Appadurai Yezhegodnik. The Production of Locality’, in Counterworks: Managing theDiversity of Knowledge. London: Routledge, 1995.
Baraboshkin, Yu et al. The Fourth All-Russia Conference “Cretaceous System of Russia and CIS Countries: Problems of Stratigraphy and Paleogeography”. Stratigraphy and Geological Correlation 17.3 (2009): 351.
Bassin, Mark. Imperial Visions: Nationalist Imagination and Geographical Expansion in the Russian Far East, 1840-1865, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
Izyumov, Alexi & JVahaly, John. Old Capital vs. New Investment in Post-Soviet Economies: Conceptual Issues and Estimates. Comparative Economic Studies 50.1 (2008): 79-110.
Kappeler, Andreas, The Russian Empire: A Multiethnic History, Essex: Pearson Education Ltd., 2001.
Keylor, William R.,The Twentieth Century World: An International History (4th ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.
Krug, Peter. The Law of Treaties in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States: Text and Commentary. The American Journal of International Law , 98.3 (2004): 631-633.
Mishina, Yu. Prospects for integration of financial markets in CIS countries. Studies on Russian Economic Development 21.5 (2010): 518.
Seltser, Don. Who governs? The Transformation of Sub-Regional Political in Russia (1991-2009), in Russian analytical Digest, 67(2009): 12-28.
Shevtsova, Lilia. Russia: Lost in Translation – The Yeltsin and Putin Legacies, Carnegie, 2007.
Tochitskaya, Irina & Lucio, Vinhas De Souza. Trade relations between an enlarged EU and the Russian Federation, and its effects in Belarus. Economic Change and Restructuring 42.1-2 (2009): 1-24.
Tochitskaya, Irina. The Customs Union between Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia: an Overview of Economic Implications for Belarus. CASE Network Studies and Analyses 405 (2010): 1-18.