The Legacy of the 1980s for Russia’s Relations in Northeast Asia in the 2010s

Abstract

Rarely do discussions of IR in Northeast Asia proceed without at least cursory acknowledgement of the forces of history that continue to shape the present political landscape in China, the two Koreas, and Japan. Historical allusions, and invented and reinvented historical narratives, are central to the present-day Sino-Japanese relationship, as each side plows through and often obscures the historical record to prove the other aggressive and untrustworthy. Tokyo and Seoul are also divided bitterly over historical interpretations, which continue to shape and poison their relationship today. Most of these discussions naturally relate to Japan’s colonial record or its World War-era atrocities; more recent history is generally neglected. Another aspect that rarely features in the discussion of politics of Northeast Asia is the role of Russia. This is no doubt in part a result of Russia’s retrenchment from Asia in the late 1980s—early 1990s, and its gradual mar-ginalization for political and economic reasons as an Asian power. However, a mere 30 years ago, the Soviet factor loomed large in Asia. Intense hostility between China and the USSR, militarization of the Russian Far East, Soviet support for its clients, North Korea and Vietnam—all these were realities that each regional player had to keep in mind in the making of its foreign and security policies.