"... Perhaps no other portion of the world faces uncertainties as deep as those confronting
this region ... The Russian domain's links to the world economy will be pivotal but those fledgling connections have yet to provide many immediate rewards for the majority of the population. More than anything, the people of the Russian domain need a renewal of hope ..." (Rowntree, et al., Chapter 9).
- Chapter 9 introduces Russia and its neighbors, a region that has experienced an incredible degree of political upheaval since the breakup of the former Soviet Union (USSR), beginning in 1991. You should understand the role that the interaction between the U.S. and the USSR has played in the 20th century (especially after World War II), and the differences between the economic and political systems espoused during the Cold War.
- Upon completion of this chapter, you should be familiar with the physical, demographic, cultural, political, and economic characteristics of Russia and its neighbors. You should also understand the following concepts and models:
- Environmental geography
- Vast and challenging land; European west; Ural mountains and Siberia; Far East; Caucasus and Transcaucasia; Devastated environment; Chernobyl and nuclear energy; Post-Soviet paradox.
- Population and settlement
- European core; Siberian hinterlands; Regional migration patterns; Russian cities; Demographic crisis.
- Cultural coherence and diversity
- Russian Empire; Language; Religion; Russian culture in global context; Music.
- Geopolitical framework
- Soviet Union (USSR); Russia and the former Soviet republics; Devolution and the Russian Federation; Shifting global setting.
- Economic and social development
- Ongoing adjustment; Legacy of Soviet economy; Post-Soviet economy; Privatization, Russian Mafia, and fraying social fabric; Growing economic globalization; Oil; Local impacts of globalization.
