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How Hydrocarbon Resources And Vladimir Putin's Acquaintances Are Linked To Russia's Foreign Policy Decisions, Anttoni Asikainen

Honors Theses

This thesis examines how Russia uses its hydrocarbon resources as a foreign policy tool. As one of the most significant gas and oil producers in the world, Russia has gained enormous political power in many nations. In short, for many years, Russia has been building asymmetrical economic relationships with multiple countries, including countries in the European Union. Many of these countries have become partially or entirely dependent on Russian energy. It is true that financially, Russia profits enormously from hydrocarbon exports, but scholars also agree that for Russia, gaining political power by selling hydrocarbon resources is just as important. Another …