浅析俄国的缓冲区：西部破败，南部靠战争和移民，东部稳定

　　一、引Russiaisavastcountry,coveringanareaof17.09millionsquarekilometers.Itspredecessor,theSovietUnion,hadanevenlargerterritory,spanning22.4millionsquarekilometers.ThepredecessortotheSovietUnion,theRussianEmpire,wasevenmoreimpressive,reachingitspeakwithaterritoryof22.88millionsquarekilometers.Despitesuchvastlandarea,thepopulationofRussiaisnotaslargeasonemightimagine.Currently,Russiahasapopulationofonly146millionpeople.Occupyingsuchalargeterritorywithsuchasmallpopulation,itisunderstandablethatRussiaiseagertoestablishbufferzonesalongitsborders.ButwhatexactlyarebufferzonesandwhydoesRussianeedthem?

　　

　　Insimpleterms,bufferzonesareareasthatprovideRussiawithadditionalreactiontimeintheeventofawar.DuringtheerasoftheRussianEmpireandtheSovietUnion,theconceptofbufferzonesdidnotexist.Theseempiresfocusedonexpandingtheirterritoriesanddidnotseetheneedforbufferzones.However,thislackofbufferzonesprovedcostlyduringWorldWarIIwhenGermanylaunchedasurpriseattackontheSovietUnion.ThelackofpreparationresultedinsignificantlossesfortheSovietmilitary.Sincethen,Russiahasbecomesmarterandhasrealizedtheimportanceofestablishingbufferzonesarounditsborderstoprotectitselffrompotentialthreats.

　　

　　DuringWorldWarII,GermanyandJapanweretheadversaries.DuringtheColdWar,theUnitedStatesbecamethemainopponent.Nowadays,NATOhasbecomeRussia'sbiggestheadache.Astimegoesby,adversariescontinuetochange.ItisworthnotingthatRussiaappliedtojoinNATOin2001,2004,and2008butwasrejected.Despitetherejections,jointmilitaryexerciseshavebeenconductedbetweenRussiaandNATOonmultipleoccasions,highlightingthecomplexnatureofinternationalrelationsbetweencountries.

　　

　　InWesternRussia,bufferzonesarenolongereffective.TheBalticStates,includingLatvia,Estonia,andLithuania,wereoncepartoftheRussianEmpireandtheSovietUnion.However,theygainedindependenceintheaftermathoftheRussianRevolutionin1918.In1939,theSovietUnionsignedtheMolotov-RibbentropPactwithNaziGermany,whichplacedtheBalticStatesunderSovietinfluence.TheSovietUnionannexedtheBalticStatesin1940.Itwasnotuntil1991thattheBalticStatesregainedtheirindependencewhentheSovietUnioncollapsed.TheBalticStatesbecomingmembersofNATOin2004hasrenderedthemineffectiveasbufferzonesforRussia.

　　

　　Finland'ssituationisslightlydifferentbutisstillinfluencedbyRussia.In1809,theRussianEmpiredefeatedtheKingdomofSweden,makingFinlandavassalstateunderRussianrule.Finlanddeclaredindependencein1917afterthefalloftheRussianEmpire.However,in1939,theSovietUnioninvadedFinlandagain.AftertheWinterWar,FinlandhadtocedeterritorytotheSovietUnionbutmaintaineditsindependence.DuringtherestoftheColdWar,FinlandpursuedapolicyofneutralityandtriedtomaintainabalancedrelationshipwithboththeSovietUnionandtheWest.Inrecentyears,FinlandhasstrengtheneditsdefensecapabilitiesanddeepeneditscooperationwithNATO,althoughitremainsoutsidethealliance.

　　

　　Tothesouth,UkrainehasbecomeamajorconcernforRussia.UkrainewaspartoftheSovietUnionandhasasignificantRussian-speakingpopulation.WhenUkrainesoughttostrengthenitstieswiththeEuropeanUnion,itsparkedtensionswithRussia.In2014,RussiaannexedCrimea,whichwaspartofUkraine,andsupportedseparatistmovementsineasternUkraine.TheconflictinUkrainehasstrainedRussia'srelationswithNATOandtheWest,leadingtotheimpositionofsanctions.

　　

　　Inordertomaintainitssecurityandprotectitsinterests,Russiahassoughttoestablishbufferzonesalongitsborders.ThesebufferzonesserveasabarrieragainstpotentialthreatsandprovideRussiawithadditionalreactiontimeintheeventofaconflict.Theyalsoserveasameansofexertinginfluenceandprojectingpowerinadjacentregions.

　　

　　OneexampleofabufferzoneestablishedbyRussiaisAbkhazia.AbkhaziaisaregioninGeorgiathatdeclaredindependencein1992afterthecollapseoftheSovietUnion.RussiahasrecognizedAbkhaziaasanindependentstateandhasstationedtroopstheretomaintaincontrol.ThishasstrainedRussia'srelationswithGeorgiaandtheinternationalcommunity.

　　AnotherexampleisTransnistria,abreakawayregionofMoldova.Transnistriadeclaredindependencein1990,followingthebreakupoftheSovietUnion.RussiahasmaintainedamilitarypresenceinTransnistria,whichhascomplicatedtheresolutionoftheconflictbetweenMoldovaandTransnistria.

　　Inrecentyears,RussiahasalsosoughttoestablishbufferzonesinSyriaandtheArctic.InSyria,RussiahasintervenedmilitarilytosupportthegovernmentofBasharal-Assad,therebyestablishingapresenceintheMiddleEastandcounteringWesterninfluenceintheregion.IntheArctic,Russiahasbeenincreasingitsmilitarypresenceandassertingitsclaimstotheregion'sresources,whichhasraisedconcernsamongneighboringcountries.

　　Whilebufferzonescanenhanceacountry'ssecurity,theyalsoposerisks.Theycanleadtotensionsandconflictswithneighboringcountries,aswehaveseeninthecasesofUkraine,Georgia,andMoldova.Theycanalsoresultintheviolationofinternationallaw,asinthecaseofCrimea.Theestablishmentofbufferzonescanalsocontributetoasenseofinsecurityandinstabilityintheregion,asneighboringcountriesmayperceivethemasanencroachmentontheirsovereigntyandterritorialintegrity.

　　Inconclusion,bufferzonesareimportantforRussia'ssecurityandstrategicinterests.Theyprovideadditionalreactiontimeandserveasabarrieragainstpotentialthreats.However,theestablishmentofbufferzonescanalsoleadtotensionsandconflicts.ItiscrucialforRussiatobalanceitssecurityconcernswithrespectforinternationallawandthesovereigntyofneighboringcountries.

　　举报/反馈