The New Russia in the New Asia

Russia remains a key player in Asian security, although U.S. thinking about Asia tends to ignore Russias Asian presence and its impact. The Bush and Clinton administrations formal policy statements on Russia and Asia do not mention Russia in the Asian context. Often scholars writing on U.S. policy in Asia andor Asian security issues also omit Russia from their analysis. But Russian policymakers do not make this mistake even though they generally acknowledge that Russias and the USSRs failure to bring, its full weight or potential to bear in Asia lies at the root of this neglect. Russias Asian role remains incomplete relative to its economic potential, and current economic conditions inhibit more serious and deeper linkages with Asia. Russia still stands apart from Asias amazing dynamism. But as philosophers tell us, an absence is also a presence. Therefore no account of Asian prospects that ignores Russias potential and its unique realities can be adequate to either subject