Russia does not export sufficient capital relative to its total economy to make capital exports more important than commodity production. It ranks somewhere in the 30s in terms of countries ranked by capital exports in absolute terms.
It also does not divide up the world into spheres of influence for capital deployment with other imperialist nations. It is not of the imperialist bloc.
These two things prevent it from meeting Lenin’s definition of imperialism. Russia has been, in essence, fighting for it’s survival since the RF emerged from the dissolution of the USSR. After 7 years of absolutely terrifying economic shock therapy, it has had about 25 years to attempt to spring back and stabilize itself so it can provide for its people. Part of this means playing the new global game of securing resources through the export of capital. No longer is that unique to the imperialists, everyone has to do it because the world has changed since 1917.
The question of imperialism is a question of empire and Russia’s foreign direct investments in mining operations are not even at risk of becoming an empire, let alone constituting one in the present day. Nor is Russia trying to maintain its empire against the borders and boundaries of the North Atlantic empire. Russia does not imperial colonial nor neocolonial holdings that it manages as subordinate nations to its own.
Russia has 3 choices: feudalism, capitalism, or socialism. Given it’s advanced state of development it won’t be feudal. Given it is born from the collapse of a socialist state it will not be socialist for some time. Therefore it is capitalist. But it certainly has not reached the highest stage of capitalism. It is only recently able to reach up from some of the lowest stages of capitalism.
Russia does not export sufficient capital relative to its total economy to make capital exports more important than commodity production. It ranks somewhere in the 30s in terms of countries ranked by capital exports in absolute terms.
It also does not divide up the world into spheres of influence for capital deployment with other imperialist nations. It is not of the imperialist bloc.
These two things prevent it from meeting Lenin’s definition of imperialism. Russia has been, in essence, fighting for it’s survival since the RF emerged from the dissolution of the USSR. After 7 years of absolutely terrifying economic shock therapy, it has had about 25 years to attempt to spring back and stabilize itself so it can provide for its people. Part of this means playing the new global game of securing resources through the export of capital. No longer is that unique to the imperialists, everyone has to do it because the world has changed since 1917.
The question of imperialism is a question of empire and Russia’s foreign direct investments in mining operations are not even at risk of becoming an empire, let alone constituting one in the present day. Nor is Russia trying to maintain its empire against the borders and boundaries of the North Atlantic empire. Russia does not imperial colonial nor neocolonial holdings that it manages as subordinate nations to its own.
Russia has 3 choices: feudalism, capitalism, or socialism. Given it’s advanced state of development it won’t be feudal. Given it is born from the collapse of a socialist state it will not be socialist for some time. Therefore it is capitalist. But it certainly has not reached the highest stage of capitalism. It is only recently able to reach up from some of the lowest stages of capitalism.