Is the “Pivot to the East”: a Geopolitical Metaphor and / or an Operational Vector of State Policy?

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of the monograph “Asian Russia: Demography, Ethnic Composition of the Population, and Interethnic Relations in the Context of the Turn to the East” (edited by T. B. Smirnova and A. N. Blinova). The study focuses on a comprehensive analysis of ethno-demographic processes in the regions of the Urals, Siberia, and the Far East. It is based on statistical data, mass sociological surveys, and qualitative interviews. The authors analyze the population dynamics and ethnic composition, migration processes, the demographic behavior of various peoples, and the state of interethnic relations. Detailed essays on 11 constituent entities of the Russian Federation are also presented, providing historical context and an analysis of the current situation. The key findings indicate a steady depopulation of the eastern regions, a change in the ethnic structure due to the outflow of the Russian population and the influx of migrants from Central Asia, and demographic asymmetry as a challenge to the implementation of the “Turn to the East”.