Title: The Changing Geopolitical Importance of Siberia
Headings: The Changing Geopolitical Importance of Siberia
The Changing Geopolitical Importance of Siberia
Summary
Development of Siberia
Natural Resources and Russian Strategy
Importance of East Asia

Content: As for natural gas production, about 95 percent of Russia's is done in Siberia. Natural Resources and Russian Strategy
Since the Soviet Union's collapse, Russia's natural resources have played a huge role in driving the country's economic growth. From 2000 to 2008, Russia's GDP averaged 7 percent growth. After a brief contraction during the global financial crisis, which severely affected the Russian economy because of its dependence on exports of raw materials, growth has returned since 2010. In 2011, revenues from oil and natural gas exports made up 50 percent of Russia's budget. These resources, particularly oil and natural gas, are important not only as sources of revenue for the Russian state but also as levers in Russian foreign policy. This is especially true with Europe, where Russia provides roughly a quarter of the energy supply. Natural gas is of particular importance because Russia dominates not only the supply but also the distribution network, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. Russia has an extensive energy distribution and export pipeline network, the latter of which it began to develop in the 1970s during the thaw in Soviet-Western relations. Druzhba is Russia's largest oil pipeline, while major natural gas pipelines include the Yamal-Europe I, Northern Lights, Soyuz and Bratrstvo, all of which carry Russian natural gas to Eastern and Western European markets via Ukraine and/or Belarus.