Transcript WG_CH17

Today’s Issues:
Russia and the Republics
The collapse of the
powerful Soviet
government has left
many of its former
republics facing
difficult ethnic,
economic, and
environmental
challenges.
Russian troops patrol the Chechen
capital of Grozny (1996).
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Today’s Issues:
Russia and the Republics
SECTION 1
Regional Conflict
SECTION 2
The Struggle for Economic Reform
Case Study
The Soviet Union’s Nuclear Legacy
Unit Map: Physical
Unit Atlas: Physical
Unit Map: Political
Unit Atlas: Political
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Section 1
Regional Conflict
• Regional tensions, once under Soviet
control, have flared up in Russia and the
Republics.
• Some of the most violent conflicts have
occurred in the Caucasus region.
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SECTION
1
Regional Conflict
A Troubled Caucasus
Land of Great Complexity
• Collapse of Soviet government weakens central
authority in Republics
- crime and religious or ethnic conflict increase
Interactive
• Caucasus—area of Caucasus Mountains between
Black, Caspian seas
- north: Russian republics Chechnya, Dagestan,
Ingushetia, North Ossetia
- south: independent countries Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Georgia
• California-size area is home to dozens of
languages, 50 ethnic groups
• Groups fight violently for independent territories
after USSR falls
Continued . . .
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SECTION
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continued A
Troubled Caucasus
Chechnya
• Chechnya republic remains part of Russia after
USSR collapse
• Russia invades twice in 1990s to block Chechnyan
independence
- invades in 1994 and soon controls 2/3 of country,
capital of Grozny
- rebels fight from mountain hideouts, force 1996
peace agreement
- bombings in Moscow lead Russia to invade again
in 1999
Image
Continued . . .
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continued A
Troubled Caucasus
Georgia
• Georgia’s Ossetian people fight the Georgian army
in early 1990s
- seek to unite South Ossetia (Georgia) with North
Ossetia (Russia)
• Abkhazia region of Georgia declares independence
in 1992
- rebels force Georgian population (250,000) to
leave
- Georgian troops driven out, but region still in
ruins
Continued . . .
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continued A
Troubled Caucasus
Armenia and Azerbaijan
• South of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan fight
over territory
- Armenia wants Nagorno-Karabakh, a
mountainous area in Azerbaijan
- region is 3/4 ethnic Armenian
• Dispute rages in early 1920s, but kept under control
by Soviets
- fighting resumed in late 1980s until 1994
cease-fire
- by then tens of thousands dead, nearly a million
refugees
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SECTION
1
Hope on the Horizon?
Can the Conflicts be Stopped?
• U.S. hosts Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks in 2001
• Chechnyan fighting causes high casualties for
Russians, Chechnyans
- once-high public support for war is declining
- economic cost of war is a burden
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Section 2
The Struggle for
Economic Reform
• Russia has struggled to move from a
command economy to a market economy.
• Russia’s enormous size and widespread
criminal activity have made economic
reform difficult.
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The Struggle for Economic
Reform
Steps Toward Capitalism
Privatization
• After Soviet collapse Russia embraces capitalism
- removes price controls in 1992; prices of goods
increase 250%
• Also in 1992, Russia begins process of
privatization
- sells government-owned businesses to private
individuals, companies
• Public buy businesses with vouchers to be repaid
with future profits
- business failures, unpaid vouchers lead to 1998
economic crash
• Still, by 2000, 60% of workforce employed in private
sector
Continued . . .
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continued Steps
Toward Capitalism
The High Cost of Economic Change
• Since the 1998 crash, Russia’s economy has slowly
recovered
• In spite of this, 40% of Russians still far below
poverty line
• Some wonder if things had maybe been better
under Soviets
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Obstacles to Economic Reform
Distance Decay
• Distance decay—long-distance communication,
transportation are hard
- Russia spans 11 time zones, has 89 regional
governments
- central government in Moscow is weak
- difficult to get distant officials to enforce national
reform programs
• President Vladimir Putin creates 7 large federal
districts in 2000
- governor-generals will force regional officials to
follow reform orders
Map
Continued . . .
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continued Obstacles
to Economic Reform
Organized Crime
• “Russian mafia” criminal organizations grow rapidly
in 1990s
- control 40% of private companies, 60% of stateowned companies
- mafia creates own economy, expands outside of
Russia
• Organized crime slows economic reform by
rewarding illegal activity
- government cannot tax such activity
Future Prospects
• Rising tax, customs revenues could lead to higher
living standards
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Case Study
The Soviet Union’s Nuclear Legacy
The Soviet Union’s Nuclear
Legacy
BACKGROUND
• The former Soviet Union’s nuclear programs have
become a problem
• poorly constructed nuclear power stations are not
being maintained
• nuclear waste dumps are decaying
• These issues pose a threat to the region’s people
and environment
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Case Study
An Unwelcome Legacy
Nuclear Uncertainties
• Break up of USSR leaves fate of Soviet
nuclear weapons unclear
- instead of 1 country with weapons, there
are 15 independent republics
- Where are the weapons? Are they safe?
Where are the nuclear scientists?
• Also facing problems with aging, poorly built
nuclear reactors
- many are same design as one at 1986
Chernobyl disaster
Image
Map
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Case Study
The Consequences of Collapse
Political Tensions
• Nuclear issues create tension between
regions, other nations, U.S.
• U.S. task force in 2000 highlights nuclear
security threat
- fears grow that Russian nuclear materials
could be stolen, misused
- recommends $30 billion package to help
keep weapons safe
Continued . . .
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Case Study
continued The
Consequences of Collapse
Economic Health
• Many regional leaders reluctant to shut down
Soviet nuclear reactors
- it would be too expensive to build new nonnuclear plants
• Some republics’ steps to revive their
economies are questionable
- in 2001, Russia’s Duma (legislature)
approved nuclear dump plan
- hope to earn $21 billion by storing other
countries’ nuclear waste
- Russian environmentalists are upset over
the plan
Continued . . .
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Case Study
continued The
Consequences of Collapse
Environmental Prospects
• Some hope that region’s environmental
outlook can improve
• In 2000, Ukraine shut down last active
Chernobyl reactor
- hope to build protective dome for disaster
site
• In 2000, a U.S.-funded treatment plant
opened near the White Sea
- facility treats radioactive waste from
Russian nuclear submarines
- submarine nuclear waste formerly dumped
in the sea
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