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The Emergence of a Russian-Speaking World and its Impact on Russia's International Relations

Anne de Tinguy, Senior Research Fellow, Center for International Studies and Research, Paris, and Professor, Institute for Political Studies, Paris

Date & Time

Monday
May. 23, 2005
12:00pm – 1:00pm ET

Overview

At a recent Kennan Institute talk, Anne de Tinguy, Senior Research Fellow, Center for International Studies and Research, Paris, and Professor, Institute for Political Studies, Paris, argued that since the fall of the Soviet Union, a Russian-speaking world has emerged that encompasses the former Soviet Union and parts of North America, Europe, and the Middle East. Although this international community of Russian speakers is a relatively new phenomenon, de Tinguy contended that it has already influenced the foreign policy of the Russian Federation. It is likely that its influence will become even more important in the future. De Tinguy's remarks were based on her recent book, La Grande Migration: La Russie et les Russes depuis l'ouverture du rideau de fer (Paris: Plon, 2004).

De Tinguy explained that the emergence of a Russian-speaking world is the result of two distinct phenomena: out-migration to Western countries after the fall of the iron curtain, and the disintegration of the Soviet Union into 15 independent states. She noted that some 4 million people have emigrated permanently from the states of the former Soviet Union since 1990, and millions more travel to Western countries—legally or illegally—as temporary labor migrants, or for personal, training, or educational reasons. The most popular destination countries are Germany, Israel, and the United States, with smaller numbers of emigrants going to Canada, France, Finland, Poland, Italy, and Australia. According to de Tinguy, it is difficult to estimate the size of the Russian-speaking community due to illegal and temporary migration and the difficulty of determining who constitutes a "Russian speaker." The fall of the Soviet Union left over 25 million ethnic Russians living outside of the Russian Federation. De Tinguy noted that although some chose to settle in Russia, some 18 million remain in other countries, constituting another dimension of the Russian-speaking world.

The Russian-speaking world, de Tinguy argued, is extremely diverse, but it is characterized by several common features. The most important of these features is transnationalism—most Russian speakers abroad maintain personal, cultural, and business ties with Russia. In addition, many retain a strong attachment to Russian language and culture. De Tinguy noted that this is true for both ethnic Russians and migrants of other backgrounds, including Jews, Ukrainians, and Belarusians.

The emergence of Russian-speaking communities abroad has affected Russia's international relations in a number of ways, according to de Tinguy. First, questions of migration policy and the treatment of Russian-speaking minorities has become an important issue in Russia's bilateral relations with other states, particularly Israel, Germany, Kazakhstan, Latvia, and Estonia. Second, Russian communities are a source of political capital for Russia. Although de Tinguy emphasized that Russian-speaking migrants do not see themselves as "spokesmen" for Russia, she argued that they raise the visibility of Russia and its foreign policy interests in their host countries. Third, they have the potential to act as an economic force by investing in Russia, although this has not yet occurred on a large scale. Finally, they build new bridges between Russia and the rest of the world. Russian-speakers abroad who maintain ties with Russia transmit ideas, behaviors, and identities from their host countries to their homelands, in addition to monetary remittances.

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Kennan Institute

The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Russia and Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange.  Read more

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