Over the past several years, whenever Moscow entered into a difficult encounter on the Western 鈥渇ront,鈥� it has typically tried to show interest in expanding ties in the Asia-Pacific.
The Russian state is a poor manager of the depressed and heavily militarized economy of the Far Eastern region, and that makes Moscow鈥攚ith its heavy reliance on military instruments of policy鈥攁 deficient actor in the multi-lateral political processes driving the Asia-Pacific.
