On Wednesday, 29 April 2009 Dr Alan Rousso, Director for Strategy and Analysis in the Office of the Chief Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Prof Julian Cooper, Director, Centre for Russian and East European Studies (CREES), University of Birmingham, will speak on ‘Strategic implications of the financial crisis for Russia: can Russia afford to modernise its military?’ from 12.30-2pm at Arundel House.
Russia's defence budget is believed to be around 25 times less that of the United States, but the country's military expenditure has been steadily growing in the past few years owing to impressive economic development. Russia's Defence Ministry said it spent around one trillion rubles ($40 bln) of federal budget funds in 2008, 20% more than in 2007, and it was envisaged that in 2008-10 military spending would account for 15.5-16% of aggregate federal budget expenditure. The Kremlin and the Defence Ministry have summed up the results of the August 2008 military operation against Georgia. In September 2008 President Medvedev urged Russia to upgrade its nuclear deterrent and fully supply the Armed Forces with modern weaponry by 2020. On October 14, Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov announced ambitious plans to overhaul the national military establishment by 2012. The new military doctrine developed by the General Staff sets to transform the Russian armed forces into a mobile and effective military force. However, hit by the financial crisis since autumn 2008 and experiencing shortages in financing, can Russia afford to modernise its military and implement its ambitious Army reform? What are the strategic implications of financial crisis for Russia?
Dr Alan Rousso is Director for Strategy and Analysis in the Office of the Chief Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. In that capacity he leads the OCE’s work on developing the Bank’s country strategies, sector analysis and policy dialogue in the region of operations. He also serves as an advisor to the Bank’s senior management and Board on Russia and conducts research on governance and anti-corruption issues across the transition region. He has been a contributing editor of the Transition Report since 2003 and was lead editor of the Report in 2007. Prior to his arrival in EBRD in January 2001, Dr Rousso spent three years in Moscow as Director of the Carnegie Endowment’s Moscow Centre, and before that taught on the political science faculties at Dartmouth College, Cornell University, and Columbia University.
Prof Julian Cooper is Director, Centre for Russian and East European Studies (CREES), University of Birmingham; also Co-Director of CEELBAS (Centre for East European Language Based Area Studies) and Associate Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House. Prof Cooper’s expertise and interests lie in the field of Russian economy, economics of defence and security in Russia, Russian foreign trade, domestic and foreign Policy. Current research focused on the place of the Russian economy in the wider global economy, including comparisons with other large emerging economies. Prof Cooper has recently published 'Russia and the Economic Crisis: No Safe Haven', in ‘The World Today’.
The seminar will be chaired by Oksana Antonenko, Senior Fellow and Programme Director of Russia and Eurasia programme and will be held on the fourth floor of Arundel House, 13-15 Arundel Street, Temple Place, London WC2R 3D.
If you would like to attend, please RSVP Olga Komarova at komarova@iiss.org or tel: 07989 112429.
