| ID | 095906 |
| Title Proper | Is Russia cursed by Oil? |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Treisman, Daniel |
| Publication | 2010. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Russia is often thought to be a classic case of the resource curse-the idea that natural resource wealth tends to impair democratic development.1 Some see the country as doomed to authoritarian politics by its enormous endowments of oil and gas. "Russia's future will be defined as much by the geology of its subsoil as by the ideology of its leaders," writes Moisés Naím, editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine and former trade and industry minister of petroleum-rich Venezuela. "A lot of oil combined with weak public institutions produces poverty, inequality, and corruption. It also undermines democracy."2 New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman sees a close relationship between world commodity prices and the extent of liberty in resource-rich states: a higher oil price means less freedom. Friedman suggests that Russia, from Gorbachev to Putin, fits this relationship perfectly. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of International Affairs Vol. 63, No. 2; Spring/Summer 2010: p.85-102 |
| Journal Source | Journal of International Affairs Vol. 63, No. 2; Spring/Summer 2010: p.85-102 |
| Key Words | Russia ; Oil ; Gas ; Gorbachev ; Putin |