Russia

 Russia Nation Information Official Name Russian Federation Capital Moscow President Vladimir Putin GDP 979 billion USD Currency Ruble Population 142 893 540 Members Current Player Winisle Former Players LordoftheChris

Russia is a major country of Superpower: Classic generally reserved for experienced and active players.

Post-Soviet Russia
Modern Russia was born in the chaos that followed the disintegration of the Soviet Union a decade before the onset of the 21st century. The optimism of a new state born in democracy and economic liberalization quickly dissipated in the economic hardships and political instability of the 1990s. Despite President Boris Yeltsin's well-meaning intentions, the economic crisis of the country plunged the Russian people into an extended period of despair which they would experience for the next decade. During this time, the fundamental transformations in the Russian economy propelled to power a small class of business leaders nick-named the "oligarchs" and outsourced much of Russia's natural resources to foreign companies. The military tremendously suffered as well, with research and modernization greatly slowing and funding in critical supply. The readiness and the integrity of the Armed Forces eroded with widespread corruption and catastrophic maintenance failures. The pressures of the conflict in Chechnya further stressed the defense establishment. Nonetheless, the intelligence apparatus consisting mainly of the GRU and the KGB's successors the SVR and FSB capitalized on the decay and entrenched themselves within the institutions of the country.

Rise to Power: Putin and the Restoration of Russia
To the surprise of political analysts, President Yeltsin appointed an obscure former intelligence officer as acting President in 1999. Vladimir Putin assumed the duties of Russia's president after winning the election of 2000. His immediate focus aimed at restoring the stability of Russia and imposing state control on the chaotic political factionalism that had gripped the country. Putin maneuvered steadily and unhesitatingly towards the consolidation of political power, reorganizing the relationship between the federal government and the provincial governments clearly in favor of the Moscow Kremlin. He further broke apart the political power of the oligarchs in opposition to his policies, asserting state control of key industries including natural gas and media. Many foreign contracts awarded to global energy corporations were forcefully removed from ownership through dubious legal means and reassigned to Russian state companies.

Putin has also stressed the importance of restoring Russia's military capabilities. He oversaw the final stages of the Chechen conflict, which has largely reasserted Moscow's power over the region. Significantly more funding has been allocated to defense, which has generated a number of next-generation military projects. Most recently, Russian aircraft have resumed Cold War era combat air patrols in the vicinity of the United States and the United Kingdom. Disputes with Ukraine, Poland, and the European Union have largely been designed to exert Russian power in historical spheres of interest, and partly as a response to perceived NATO encroachment in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

While not a part of any specific political party, Putin has maintained strong favor with Russia's most successful party, United Russia. He has been consistently able to manipulate strong domestic support for his policies, which Russians credit with Russia's redirection. Many key officials in Putin's administration have connections with, including membership in, Russia's intelligence community. In late 2007, Putin announced his intention to run for Prime Minister in the upcoming Russian elections in order to remain in the center of Russian politics.

Strategies as Russia
See also: Strategies of Russia

Trends and Key Objectives
The challenges of the 1990s have all but disappeared during the Presidency of Putin. This occurred not only as a result of Putin's policies of development and political consolidation which have brought the high value of stability to the country, but also a shift of emphasis away from economic liberalization and democratization towards restoring national power. Despite this, Russia faces many domestic and foreign problems that place stressful pressures on the country's development in the 21st century. As a country with historically powerful domestic institutions and vast untapped resources, Russia provides players with various courses to pursue. Regardless of the route chosen, re-emergence as a major world power is the primary objective of most players with Russia. The country lacks the international credibility enjoyed by China, and with this recognition, players almost exclusively pursue a path of confrontation with the West as a means of building Russian influence. The reorganization of state powers falls subordinate to this objective as players exaggerate the current events of real life to consolidate a more authoritarian state. The internal stability of the country is maintained by the pervasive police and intelligence services which periodically conduct political actions to isolate or destroy opposition to state policy. This is a course almost determined by the conditions of the country, which witnessed the political and economic chaos of the post-Soviet era but retained the strength of its military and intelligence institutions. With the largest economy excluded from the World Trade Organization, perceived NATO encroachment on historically Russian spheres of influence in East Europe and Central Asia, and military and intelligence officers forming the core of political power, asserting and restoring security remains the task of highest priority for the government. The legacy of the Cold War and the Soviet Union, the height of Russian power, is forgotten neither in Russia nor the West, and this invariably leads to confrontation as the country seeks ways in reestablishing its legitimacy.

Defense Policy
Russia inherited from the Soviet Union a large and capable military force, consisting of powerful conventional, strategic, and intelligence assets, particularly the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). While these institutions have suffered from erosion because of the political and economic problems of the 1990s, Russia's military power has been far from extinguished; simply remaining dormant while the intrigues of domestic policy play themselves out. But with the combination of stability in Putin's semi-authoritarian democracy and the economic progress driven by energy exports, attention has recently shifted towards reactivating the country's military prowess. As a result, player retains control of a large if somewhat outdated but nonetheless capable military machine with very effective and complete strategic and intelligence components. While the conventional forces continue to undergo transformation to get up to speed with the revolution in military affairs, the strategic and intelligence forces remain very active. The player has the capacity to leverage these capabilities for political gains in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and in combination with Russia's growing economic importance, they make for very powerful instruments of compulsion. These two components provide the foundation for the restoration of Russian power and act as the cornerstone in Russia's current security posture.

Russia in Round Ten
See also: Round 10

Russia was played by LordoftheChris in Round 10. Russia was defined by an active and assertive foreign policy combined with a domestic policy designed to deliberately enhance it. The diplomatic and political initiatives of the country aimed to restore its status as a serious and capable global power. This manifested itself in a series of conflicts with other countries, including Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Iran, and the United Kingdom.

Domestic Policy
The domestic policy of Russia aimed to strengthen the internal stability of the country. Initiatives included a widespread campaign against organized crime that resulted in the several high-profile arrests, a public and religious policy promoting higher birth rates and reduced abortions among Russians, and the consolidation of economic progress by asserting control over the country's natural resources, particularly oil and gas.

Foreign Relations of Russia in Round Ten
Russia's foreign policy during the round was defined by assertiveness and, at times, conflict, particularly with the United Kingdom. Four major events defined Russia's foreign relations during this time: Uzbek Intervention, Ukraine Gas Dispute, Iran - Russia Confrontation, and the British Invasion of Sudan.

Russia promoted a strong relationship with continental Europe in order to maintain stable trade partners and also to diplomatically isolate the United Kingdom, which Russia identified as the largest threat to its status and power. The country also maintained strong relations with the People's Republic of China as well as the Arab countries of the Middle East.

Russia in Round Eleven
See also: Round 11

Russia in Round Twelve
See also: Round 12