In the Spring semester of 2017, four students at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) 
travelled to the cities of Vladivostok and Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East. Their research spans a variety of topics, from development of eastern regions of Russia, to environmental policy. They met with top experts in their respective fields to yield professional-level research papers with the assistance of MIIS professor Tsuneo Akaha.
Aleksandra Evert
Aleksandra is a master’s candidate in the International Environmental Policy (IEP) program with a focus on Natural Resource Policy and Management at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS). She participated in the DPMI Cairo program working on a sustainable development project for UNIDO. She received her undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Before coming to MIIS, Aleksandra completed a year of AmeriCorps service working in urban forestry at a non-profit organization in San Jose. She has experience working in ecological restoration at environmental NGOs, as well as marketing and communication in Silicon Valley startups.
Abstract
Climate change, biodiversity loss, and other anthropogenic impacts create economic and political tensions in areas of shared regional resources. Negative effects stemming from the exploitation of natural resources calls for regional cooperation to actively manage critical transboundary areas. This study focuses on the Amur-Heilong River basin shared by China, Russia, and Mongolia. The Amur River is the longest free-flowing river in the Eastern Hemisphere and the most important international river in East Asia. Due to its resource abundance, the region has experienced severe degradation by the encompassing countries. The Amur Green Belt Program was created to improve regional cooperation and sustainable use of shared natural resources through the creation of transboundary protected areas (PAs). This study examines the Amur Green Belt Programme and its effectiveness at implementing transboundary protected areas in the Amur-Heilong River basin using Elinor Ostrom’s “Eight Principles for Managing a Commons”. Part I explores the shared commons and the current governance regime in place, while part II
evaluates the effectiveness of the Amur Green Belt Programme through the eight principles. The study concludes that the Amur Green Belt Programme is effective in their goal of establishing PAs and indicates that environmental issues can offer a primary step in improving regional cooperation.
Matt Levie
Matt is a candidate for the Master’s in Public Administration degree at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies, with an emphasis on Development Policy and Practice, and he is a Graduate Assistant with the Graduate Initiative in Russian Studies. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Studies from Harvard College, and his undergraduate thesis analyzed the transition of the official communist party newspapers Népszabadság in Hungary and Rudé Pravo in the Czech Republic to a free press in the early 90s. At MIIS his research concerns the development of civil society in former Soviet Central Asian countries and migration between countries in the post-Soviet space.
In his free time, he runs a YouTube channel to help Russian speakers who are learning English.
Tracy Lyon
Tracy is a master’s degree candidate in the Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, and is also a candidate in the Institute’s MBA program. She is a Graduate Assistant with the Graduate Initiative in Russian Studies, and a Graduate Research Assistant at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Her current research projects include the integration of Russia into the Northeast Asian economy via the oil and gas industry, and shifting politics in the Non-Aligned Movement related to nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament. Prior to studying at MIIS, Tracy worked in nonprofit and social enterprise consulting, as well as technical recruiting for Fortune 500 and mid-market companies. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations.
Abstract
Energy resources are powerful instruments for managing foreign relations, and have a substantial impact on countries’ economic, political and national security calculations. When analyzing foreign policy objectives of the Russian Federation, it necessary to evaluate developments in the energy industry, specifically oil and natural gas. Russia has some of the largest fossil fuel reserves in the world, including the largest reserves of natural gas, and in recent years has become the largest producer of crude oil. Due to significant government ownership in the country’s largest energy companies, it is essential to view these entities as tools which the government may use as part of a larger foreign policy strategy.
Energy trade has become a significant aspect of Russia’s growing relationship with China, and holds potential to become an even larger part of their relationship with Japan. Yet, the Russian Far East (RFE) energy sector has not grown to dominate regional markets. Given the opportunity for a strengthened position in Northeast Asia (NEA) through its energy resources, why is Russia not pursuing a more rapid course of development in the RFE? Is it possible for Russia to wield undeniable political influence in NEA through its oil and gas resources, and if so, what conditions are necessary for this to be realized? While North East Asia’s energy-hungry markets are in theory a symbiotic match for Russia’s abundant resources, the viability of long-term, strategic leverage in NEA via the energy sector depends on Russia’s ability to develop and transport resources to relevant areas in the RFE; a competitive advantage of Russian energy products in regional markets; and stable or improved relations with China, Japan, and South Korea.
Rory Roccio
Rory is a native Californian, US Marine veteran, and enthusiastic graduate student in the second semester of his BA/MA in International Policy & Development program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. He is directing his studies toward political and economic development in the Russian Federation. On the GIRS research trip to the Russian Far East, Rory will be focusing on the development of higher education in Russia and its relation to economic cooperation with Russia’s East Asian neighbors.
Abstract
As Russia increases its participation in multilateral trade agreements and dramatically boosts its trade volume in the Far East, it is expected that Russia’s universities will adopt complimentary policies to increase the economic growth and development of the region. An underlying question of my research is: How are Russian universities in the Far East answering Moscow’s call of developing strategic partnerships and economic cooperation with China, Japan, and Korea and what opportunities does this response provide to students? I will be meeting with experts in international education and economics to conduct interviews and collect their thoughts.