CIAO DATE: 01/2010
September 2009
Finnish Institute for International Affairs
Given the severe impact of the global economic meltdown on Russia, one might assume that the Kremlin will be forced to readjust its geopolitical ambitions, seek accommodation with the West and loosen its grip on the post-Soviet lands. Indeed, having been hit particularly hard by the global crisis, Russia is severely lacking in the necessary resources to pursue an assertive foreign policy of the kind that the Kremlin has been pursuing in recent years.
Resource link: "Can't Buy Me Love": Will the global economic downturn help Russia consolidate its influence in post-Soviet Eurasia? [PDF] - 1.2M