Russia's Re-emergence in the Global System: Globalising or Anti-Globalising Force?

Abstract

Globalisation's advent is based on the dominant role of liberalism in the development and organisation of the world system. In both economic and political realms, liberal values and theories guide the process of globalisation. Today's neoliberal form of globalisation, however, is under attack nowadays. While attention is usually directed to anti-globalisation movements, this article examines Russia's re-emergence in the global system and her impact on globalisation. It argues that, politically and economically, Russia acts principally as an ‘anti-globalising’ force. She rejects western style capitalism, and retains a strong role for the state in economic activities. She fights against US supremacy and works for the establishment of a multi-polar global system. In this attempt, Russia aims to establish a Russian-led regional zone in her near abroad, thus fortifying regional tendencies and countering globalising trends.

Keywords:

• Russia
• liberalism
• globalization
• anti-globalization
• state capitalism
• multipolarism

Notes

¹ The Russian Energy Strategy underlines that the state has to support the Russian companies' efforts to penetrate foreign markets and improve their position in the world market. It sets the acquisition of a leading role for the Russian energy companies as a main goal. See Fredholm (2005, p. 3) and Russian Federation (Russia Energy Strategy).

² Yukos was dissolved in 2004 on fraud and tax-evasion allegations. Its assets were transferred to the Russian state through under-market-value sales to state-owned enterprises Gazprom and Rosneft.

³ Lukoil participates in the exploration of the Khauzak, Shady and Bakhara fields in Uzbekistan, and in the fields of Karachaganak, Kumkol, Turgai and Tengiz in Kazakhstan. Yukos had a controlling stake in the exploration of the Federovsky field in Kazakhstan.

⁴ Russia possesses the second-biggest coal reserves in the world and exports coal to more than 25 countries. Russia is also the second-richest country in wood in the world, with exports to more than 85 states. Heavy machinery equipment is exported to more than 30 countries. Indicatively, Russian equipment for atomic power stations controls more than 25 per cent of the world market. Russian foreign investments in the telecommunication sector are confined to the less-developed CIS states. In the chemical and petrochemical sectors, around half the sales of the Russian companies are made to non-Russian customers.

⁵ Caspian Pipeline Consortium is the only pipeline (it starts from Kazakhstan, passes through Russian territory and ends in the Russian port of St Petersburg in the Black Sea) that is not controlled by Transneft but by a consortium comprised by a group of Russian and foreign investors (Transneft included). See Perovic (2006, pp. 88, 104–105).

⁶ EU policies in the region contribute to this outcome. The EU has made it clear that it will not integrate any other states (except for Croatia) in the near future. The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) was designed exactly to deal with the states at the periphery of Europe that the EU does not intend to integrate in the following years. Thus, the EU loses its strongest card for attracting these states into its orbit. See European Commission (Gaenzle, 2008).

⁷ Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.