Geopolitical, geo-economic risks and national security of russia

Abstract

The article discusses the geopolitical position of Russia and its national security from the perspective of the risk society concept. Several types of risks are analyzed: global risks, geo-economical risks. The essay identifies the concept and nature of political and geopolitical risks. The paper considers the role and place of modern Russia in the changing world, its geopolitics, national and international security. For this purpose, a variety of factors are analyzed, divided into external and internal ones, with a sufficient degree of conditionality. The geopolitical position of modern Russia in the global geopolitical environment (land, sea, air and space) is characterized by the following parameters: in relation to the Eurasian continent, in relation to the World Ocean, in relation to the world air and near-the-earth space. It was concluded that, in military terms, Russia is a typical land power where the main military tools are the Land Forces and the Air Force. Russia, since the time of the USSR, has lost much in terms of its advantageous geopolitical position or what is called “living space” in geopolitics. The main areas of concern are differentiated in terms of international security risks: relations with NATO, agreements on strategic offensive weapons (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty START) and Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM), the correlation between the conventional weapons and the armed forces. Two ways of geopolitical development of Russia have been identified: on the one hand, peaceful and industrial/commercial cooperation, mutually beneficial participation in the international division of labour and international trade, on the other hand - construction of a new autarkic military-imperial power surrounded by satellites and opposing the other power bloc, and the growing arms race. Regretfully, the Western countries, curtailing cooperation, introducing progressively new sanctions and shifting the borders of NATO to the east, incentivize Russia towards the second path. Taking into account the undulant historical development of Russia, it has been suggested that after the recess of the geopolitical development in the 1990s which ended in collapse of the USSR, another upward wave may be expected, stimulated by the reforms and the accelerated post-reform development of the 2000s. This wave can be still ongoing in the 2010–2020s. The struggle for its continuation is the core of the modern geopolitics and the national security of Russia.