58 Asian Survey, Vol. 47, Issue 1, pp. 58–67, ISSN 0004-4687, electronic ISSN 1533-838X. © 2007 by The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permis- sion to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press’s Rights and Permissions website, at http://www.ucpressjournals.com/reprintInfo.asp. DOI: AS.2007.47.1.58. Elizabeth Wishnick is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Law at Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey, U.S.A., and Research As- sociate at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University. RUSSIA AND THE CIS IN 2006 Asserting Russian Interests on Korean Security, Energy, and Central Asia Elizabeth Wishnick Abstract Russia’s contribution to regional security and economic cooperation in Asia remains mixed. Record oil prices in 2006 highlighted Russia’s potential posi- tion as a key energy supplier, but the government’s priority has been on strengthening its hold over the industry, increasingly to the detriment of its for- eign energy partners. Keywords: energy, environment, fishing, pipeline, proliferation Ripple Effects of North Korean Weapons Tests After North Korea reportedly tested a nuclear weapon on October 9, 2006, the Russian Foreign Ministry urged Pyongyang to resume compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and return to the Six- Party Talks. President Vladimir Putin condemned the test because of “the great damage inflicted on the process of nonproliferation . . .” However, the rest of the Russian response has been far from straightforward. Considering that the North Korean test was carried out less than 60 miles from the Russian border, Russia should be particularly concerned. Indeed, the Emergency Ministry of Primorsky Kray, the Russian region bordering North Korea, officially asked the North Korean consulate in Nakhodka to provide infor- mation about all of the country’s nuclear tests. Civil defense drills, not seen since the Cold War, resumed in schools in Primorsky Kray. Student demonstrations Downloaded from http://online.ucpress.edu/as/article-pdf/47/1/58/75551/as_2007_47_1_58.pdf by guest on 03 July 2020