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Title: Why Russia is not a state

Abstract

This article makes two principal points. First the author argues that the Russian federation has never been a state and is not sustainable as a state. Four centrifugal indicators are presented to support this claim: ethnic divisiveness; uncertainty about the legitimacy of Russia`s current borders; competing claims for legitimacy on the part of federal and regional leaders; and army units` unpredictable allegiances. Second, she argues that Soviet policies intended to facilitate central control of the periphery had the perverse effect of creating ethnic identity and demands for national autonomy where, in many cases, they did not exist prior to the Communist regime. Following the introduction, part one briefly reviews the concepts of state, nation, and nationalism and the roles they play in Russia. Criteria for state-hood are discussed. Part two lists the main ethnic groups in Russia and considers the roots of ethnic nationalism in the Russian Federation. Part three discusses confusion over the legitimacy of the physical, economic, and political boundaries of the Russian Federation. Part four discusses political disarray in the center and the regions and the lack of unity among order-enforcing entities. The Volga-Ural region -- where there is a large concentration of nuclear weapons and facilities,more » and which is especially volatile politically -- is discussed in somewhat more detail. Part five argues that these factors taken together call into question Russia`s identity as a state. The author concludes that Russia remains a multi-ethnic empire in which the rule of law is still not supreme.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
10193747
Report Number(s):
UCRL-ID-115124
ON: DE94002615; TRN: 93:004073
DOE Contract Number:  
W-7405-ENG-48
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 16 Aug 1993
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY AND ECONOMY; 98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION; RUSSIAN FEDERATION; ECONOMIC ANALYSIS; USSR; FRAGMENTATION; NUCLEAR WEAPONS; SAFEGUARDS; PROLIFERATION; NON-PROLIFERATION POLICY; ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT; POLITICAL ASPECTS; 290600; 290200; 350200; NUCLEAR ENERGY; ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY

Citation Formats

Stern, J E. Why Russia is not a state. United States: N. p., 1993. Web. doi:10.2172/10193747.
Stern, J E. Why Russia is not a state. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/10193747
Stern, J E. 1993. "Why Russia is not a state". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/10193747. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/10193747.
@article{osti_10193747,
title = {Why Russia is not a state},
author = {Stern, J E},
abstractNote = {This article makes two principal points. First the author argues that the Russian federation has never been a state and is not sustainable as a state. Four centrifugal indicators are presented to support this claim: ethnic divisiveness; uncertainty about the legitimacy of Russia`s current borders; competing claims for legitimacy on the part of federal and regional leaders; and army units` unpredictable allegiances. Second, she argues that Soviet policies intended to facilitate central control of the periphery had the perverse effect of creating ethnic identity and demands for national autonomy where, in many cases, they did not exist prior to the Communist regime. Following the introduction, part one briefly reviews the concepts of state, nation, and nationalism and the roles they play in Russia. Criteria for state-hood are discussed. Part two lists the main ethnic groups in Russia and considers the roots of ethnic nationalism in the Russian Federation. Part three discusses confusion over the legitimacy of the physical, economic, and political boundaries of the Russian Federation. Part four discusses political disarray in the center and the regions and the lack of unity among order-enforcing entities. The Volga-Ural region -- where there is a large concentration of nuclear weapons and facilities, and which is especially volatile politically -- is discussed in somewhat more detail. Part five argues that these factors taken together call into question Russia`s identity as a state. The author concludes that Russia remains a multi-ethnic empire in which the rule of law is still not supreme.},
doi = {10.2172/10193747},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/10193747}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Aug 16 00:00:00 EDT 1993},
month = {Mon Aug 16 00:00:00 EDT 1993}
}