Posted on 05/12/2013 3:24:33 AM PDT by kronos77
On Thursday I had a chance to go to the Eurasia Foundation’s 20th anniversary gala (thanks Eurasia Foundation!) where I listened to a few very interesting speeches on Russia and the greater Eurasia region. One of these speeches was by Robert Zoellick, the former head of the World Bank and someone who is just a little bit more influential than your humble author. In the course of his remarks, which were primarily focused on the economic transformation that resulted from communism’s collapse, Zoellick made several offhand observations about how Russia’s population is collapsing, the death rate is rising, and alcoholism is increasing. If memory serves, he even quoted Lee Kuan Yew on the inevitability of Chinese colonization and takeover of Eastern Siberia.
To the (very limited) extent that anyone knows anything about Russian demographic trends, Zoellick’s view is the Washington consensus. “Everyone knows” that Russia’s population is nosediving, that things have gotten worse under Putin, and that it’s only a matter of time before the vast empty stretches of Siberia are taken over by other, more fecund, nationalities. While I can’t “prove” that the Chinese will never, at any point in the future, take over Eastern Siberia, the increase or decrease in Russia’s population is not a matter of speculation or esoteric scholarly debate: we have reliable and hard data, on what Russia’s population is. And, despite the chorus of voices claiming that Russia is depopulating, its population, in 2013, is actually marginally higher than it was back in 2006. As you can see in the chart below, Russia’s population is clearly not headed in a predictable, downward direction.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
When the population shrinks and alcoholism is on the rise I think it suggests increased stress of the citizenry of a country (IMHO), my reasoning being that the cost of living and taxes are so high that families intentionally keep the number of children lower because of the cost of raising them. People tend to drink more when they are stressed more frequently on a regular basis IME.
While I can’t “prove” that the Chinese will never, at any point in the future, take over Eastern Siberia, the increase or decrease in Russia’s population is not a matter of speculation or esoteric scholarly debate: we have reliable and hard data, on what Russia’s population is.The population of the territory ruled by Russia is becoming less Russian, particularly in the east.
>>>The population of the territory ruled by Russia is becoming less Russian, particularly in the east.<<<
Please... There is some Chinese influence in Russian Southern Pacific region but it doesn’t look like growing any further.
It looks like Chinese don’t like Siberian climate.
Can’t blame ‘em.
bttt
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