Russia’s Natural Resources in the World Economy: history,review and reassessment

Abstract

Russia’s role in the global economic system today, and the Soviet Union’s in the past, is dominated by the export of natural resources, particularly oil and gas. The rents earned from these exports are both a source of strength and weakness, as they link the fortunes of Russia’s domestic economy to the volatility of global resource markets. This paper returns to a major research project conducted through the offices of the Association of American Geographers that resulted in Soviet Natural Resources in the World Economy, published in 1983. The project was first conceived in the aftermath of the resource crisis in the 1970s and concluded in the early 1980s as the Soviet Union sought to increase resource exports to support a failing domestic economy. This paper examines the origins, evolution, and management of this seminal work and presents a re-reading of the book in a contemporary context. We develop some of the key themes of the original project and conclude that it has contemporary relevance, as a reliance upon the resource sector remains a defining characteristic of Russia’s political economy and continues to shape Russia’s role in the global economy. We find that the regional dimension that was so important in the original project remains critical as Russia seeks to extend the resource frontier into new regions in the Arctic and the East and, at the same time, reduce its reliance on European markets – that are both stagnant and hostile – by developing new markets in Asia.     

The two starting points of World War II: a reexamination from a global perspective

Although the factual chronology of World War II is not in dispute, how to best make sense of these facts and how to objectively evaluate that history have always been limited by political circumstances and personal biases. Viewing WWII seven decades later, we need to move away from Eurocentrism and to stop seeing the war from the prism of a European war or Pacific war. The entire history of WWII, from beginning to end, including its several phases characterized by fermentation, outbreak, climax, and conclusion, is extremely complex. This paper argues that the war has two origins or starting points because it resulted from disparate prewar conditions in Europe and Asia. Viewed from this perspective, the strategic importance of the China Theater in WWII and the enormous sacrifices and contributions the Chinese people made to the victory over Fascism and for world peace ought to be given due credit.     

From laissez-faire to supranational planning: the economic debate within Federal Union (1938–1945)

This article focuses on the early years of Federal Union (FU), the leading British federalist association created in 1938. It sets out to demonstrate that FU members heavily disagreed about the economic powers of the future Federation and that these divisions weakened the appeal of the federalist cause. Archival evidence suggests the organisation shifted from economic neutrality, favoured by allegiance to nineteenth-century liberalism, which emphasized the benefits of free trade while keeping a minimum of centralized force in order to prevent interstate rivalries from boiling over into war, to a radical advocacy of supranational planning, aimed at enforcing social rights and welfare entitlements granted to all the citizens of the member-states. This swing to the Left had several implications, including abandoning the prospect of an Anglo-American union, developing a more sympathetic attitude towards the Soviet system, and breaking ties with influential members of the British establishment who had initially lent support to FU, such as Lionel Curtis and William Beveridge. By pointing at the tension between the models of ‘Federation Pure and Simple’ and ‘Federation Plus’, this article also highlights the supple and muddled nature of federalism as an ideology.     

安徽淮河流域西周时期文化试析

本文结合考古和古文字材料,对安徽淮河流域西周时期文化进行了深入的探讨,指出周文化势力在西周时已深入到淮河中游地区,其南界并未越过江淮分水岭一线。     

尹湾六号汉墓墓主师饶生平业绩考

文章通过对西汉东海郡官吏师饶生平的探究,阐述了西汉郡级管理体制及内部分工情况。     

河南南阳市一中新校址汉墓发掘简报

20 0 1年 2月～ 10月 ,南阳市文物考古研究所在市一中新校址发掘古墓葬 4 4 7座 ,出土了大量随葬器物。其中在M 3 6中出土两件泥质灰陶虎座钫壶 ,为古代陶塑艺术佳作 ,系豫西南地区首次发现。     

雨花阁:乾隆朝宫廷佛堂建设主导思想论

乾隆帝崇信藏传佛教,修建了众多的佛堂,本文从雨花阁的修建原由、时间和供奉内容等方面进行分析,认为雨花阁是清宫的佛堂中心,其供奉虽然遵循佛教经典而陈设供奉,但却渗入了浓厚的皇权思想,包涵了清宫佛堂的两大供奉主题。它揭示了佛堂背后隐藏的乾隆皇帝建设佛堂的主导思想,奠定了众佛堂发展的基调。     

20世纪中日俄(苏)三国关系史分期问题试论

历史研究需要进行科学分期,由于所研究的对象不同,因而分期的标准也不尽相同。20世纪中日俄(苏)三国关系史可分为7个时期。1900-1917年为两强凌-弱时期;1917-1931年为三国关系初次变化时期;1931-1945年为战争笼罩三国时期;1945-1949年为三国关系特殊时期;1949-1960年为三国关系再次变化时期;1960-1972年为敌友关系相互转变时期;1972-1991年为三国关系终趋正常时期。     

斯皮内利与1984年《欧洲联盟条约草案》的产生

阿尔蒂诺·斯皮内利是二战后“欧洲联邦主义”的代表人物之一。20世纪70-80年代,他为了实现共同体改革,按“宪法方式”推进一体化,积极努力建立联邦式的欧洲联盟。特别是他在欧洲议会组织“鳄鱼集团”,推动欧洲议会制定并在1984年通过《欧洲联盟条约草案》,设计了一个联邦式的欧洲联盟的框架。这个“条约草案”没有付诸实施,但对重新激活欧洲一体化进程、推动共同体改革和《单一欧洲法案》的产生,起到了积极的作用。     

郭店楚简与西方汉学研究

西方汉学家在研究郭店楚简时,注重相关学科先进理论和模式的运用,注意从理论的角度上探讨出土简帛整理和研究的原则与方法。这与国内学术界重视实证的传统不同。郭店楚简的典籍是中国古典化的重要代表,研究西方汉学界对郭店楚简的研究现状和特征有助于加深对中西化的认识,促进中西化的交流。比较西方汉学界和国内学术界在研究郭店楚简上的差异,亦有助于中西学术的交流。