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5 Polar power

Russia’s twenty-first-century power base

Abstract

Energy is integral to the Russian leadership's vision of Russia as a great power engineering a structural transition in international affairs to a polycentric world. If energy makes an essential contribution to the federal budget, it is therefore both bound up with questions of national security and how Moscow seeks to project influence across the world. Indeed, official documents state that energy is a state instrument for conducting internal and external policy, and Russia's role on world energy markets determines its geopolitical influence.

This chapter examines the role of energy in contemporary Russian Grand Strategy by looking at how Russia is seeking to break into new markets, develop new transit routes, and claim a larger share of world resources. It examines the development of oil and gas in the Arctic, and the importance of the Northern Sea Route, as well as how the Russian leadership seeks to preposition Russia in the wider global commons. It will also assess how the interests of different state actors, including state companies, the Russian military, and others align, and their roles in shaping and creating strategy.

Abstract

Energy is integral to the Russian leadership's vision of Russia as a great power engineering a structural transition in international affairs to a polycentric world. If energy makes an essential contribution to the federal budget, it is therefore both bound up with questions of national security and how Moscow seeks to project influence across the world. Indeed, official documents state that energy is a state instrument for conducting internal and external policy, and Russia's role on world energy markets determines its geopolitical influence.

This chapter examines the role of energy in contemporary Russian Grand Strategy by looking at how Russia is seeking to break into new markets, develop new transit routes, and claim a larger share of world resources. It examines the development of oil and gas in the Arctic, and the importance of the Northern Sea Route, as well as how the Russian leadership seeks to preposition Russia in the wider global commons. It will also assess how the interests of different state actors, including state companies, the Russian military, and others align, and their roles in shaping and creating strategy.

Chapters in this book

  1. Front Matter i
  2. Contents v
  3. List of maps, figures, and tables vii
  4. List of contributors ix
  5. Foreword x
  6. Preface xvi
  7. Acknowledgements xxiii
  8. Introduction 1
  9. 1 Mapping the globe, and the revolution in Russia’s geospatial capability 26
  10. 2 Russia’s global maritime strategy 49
  11. 3 Sixth-generation war and Russia’s global theatres of military activity 71
  12. 4 Looking to the global economy 98
  13. 5 Polar power 128
  14. 6 Strategic planning and management in Russia 155
  15. Conclusions 179
  16. Index 190
Russian Grand Strategy in the era of global power competition
This chapter is in the book Russian Grand Strategy in the era of global power competition
https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526164643.00013

Chapters in this book

  1. Front Matter i
  2. Contents v
  3. List of maps, figures, and tables vii
  4. List of contributors ix
  5. Foreword x
  6. Preface xvi
  7. Acknowledgements xxiii
  8. Introduction 1
  9. 1 Mapping the globe, and the revolution in Russia’s geospatial capability 26
  10. 2 Russia’s global maritime strategy 49
  11. 3 Sixth-generation war and Russia’s global theatres of military activity 71
  12. 4 Looking to the global economy 98
  13. 5 Polar power 128
  14. 6 Strategic planning and management in Russia 155
  15. Conclusions 179
  16. Index 190
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