Moscow does not adopt a monolithic policy it takes on diverse roles in the region
By Alexander Korolev, Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the HSE
Over the past several decades, Russia’s policy in Asia has not fit into the so-called “Asian Paradox.” This term, which became popular in academic and expert circles in the 1990s, may be defined as state-level interaction being “hot when it comes to the economy, but cold in politics.” This is a pattern characteristic of the continent, where difficult and often toxic political relations between countries go hand in hand with close trade, economic and investment cooperation.
Two factors in particular have been responsible for shaping the current situation.
Firstly, Russia did not consider Asia’s largest subregions (e.g. South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Northeast Asia) critically important, in contrast to other European countries and the…