Есть ли прошлое у стратегического «разворота России на восток»? Азиатский вектор российской политики в современной отечественной историографии = Does the Strategic “Pivot of Russia to the East” Have a Past? The Asian Vector of Russian Politics in Modern Russian Historiography

Antoshin, Alexey (2024) Есть ли прошлое у стратегического «разворота России на восток»? Азиатский вектор российской политики в современной отечественной историографии = Does the Strategic “Pivot of Russia to the East” Have a Past? The Asian Vector of Russian Politics in Modern Russian Historiography. RUSSIANSTUDIES.HU, 6 (2). pp. 93-114. ISSN 2677-0660

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Abstract

This article is devoted to the strategy of “Russia’s turn to the East,” which is often proclaimed by the political leadership of Russia after the deterioration of relations with European countries. The focus of the article is the analysis of the historical experience of Russia’s interaction with the countries of the East. The article is based on the materials of key monographs, as well as articles in leading Russian journals (Russian History, Quaestio Rossica, RUDN Journal of Russian History. Vostok / Oriens, etc.) published in the last 10 years. The author argues that the acquaintance of Russians with the countries and peoples of the East began in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age, during the same period the foundations of the government’s policy towards the peoples that make up the “inner East” of Russia were developed. He demonstrates that this policy was based on principles of pragmatism and on Russian national security considerations. As modern Russian researchers note, the first ever “Russian turn to the East” occurred after the defeat of the country in the Crimean War and was associated with the loss of allies in Europe. Activation of Russia’s policy in the Far East in the late 19th - early 20th centuries ultimately led to the defeat of Russia in the Russo-Japanese War and the collapse of Russian statehood in 1917. The second attempt to “pivot to the East” occurred during the Soviet period, the Cold War era being its apogee. This resulted in an aggravation of internal political tension in Asia. The author argues that many failures of Russia’s eastern policy can be ascribed to a low level of knowledge of the specifics of the civilizations of the East and a reluctance among the political elite and the population of Russia to consider them as equal partners. The nature of “Russia’s turns to the East” is demonstrated as being opportunistic, something which is negatively perceived by the political and academic elites of the countries of the East. These circumstances have impeded a stable long-term partnership between Russia and the countries of the East.

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