A CONCISE ANALYSIS OF RUSSIA'S MAIN ORIENTATION
A CONCISE ANALYSIS OF RUSSIA'S MAIN ORIENTATION

Summary/Abstract: For a nation with 77% of its area in Asia and the majority of its population residing in Europe, questions like whether Russia is Asian or European or which side it leans toward are challenging. Russia's population is concentrated in its western region, even though only 23% of the country's land is located in the west of the Ural Mountains. On the other side, Russia's natural resource wealth is primarily concentrated in Asia, even though the country's human capital is unquestionably based in Europe. This study claims that, notwithstanding Russia's involvement in the wars in Georgia and Ukraine, Europe remains Russia's primary foreign policy focus, with Asia receiving less attention. An explanation for Russia's primary orientation toward Europe is sought to substantiate this assertion.

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