Novosibirsk Oblast

The author of this study analyzes the broad set of internal and external factors that shape the development of Novosibirsk Oblast's international relations. He gives a thorough account on the region's relations with the federal center, the political-legal base on which the region's foreign policy is formulated, and looks at the various actors and institutions engaged in international relations. Novosibirsk, which was designed as a center for hi-tech production and defense industry during the Soviet regime, went through a difficult period of deprivation and marginalization as Moscow's assistance to this region declined sharply at the beginning of the 1990s. In order to compensate for the lack of federal help, the regional elites were compelled to expand their foreign economic relations and find ways and means to adjust the regional production to the needs of the global market. Novosibirsk Oblast, a region situated on the border to Kazakhstan, also displays the whole set of security related problems common to many border territories. Illegal migration, smuggling, and violations of customs regulations are security challenges that figure largely on the local political agenda.