Objectives of the Soviet Merchant Marine

In the years since the end of the Second World War, no aspect of merchant shipping has created greater controversy than the phenomenal growth of the merchant fleet of the Soviet Union. Starting in 1945 with a makeshift fleet that was a motley collection of obsolete vessels, ships received as reparations from the defeated Axis nations and Lend-Lease Liberty ships, the Soviets have fashioned a modern, efficient merchant marine that is currently second in the world in numbers of ships and sixth in deadweight tonnage. Employed as a powerful instrument of the Soviet state, this fleet now competes effectively with Western shipping lines throughout every corner of the globe. This paper will examine the remarkable rise of the Soviet merchant marine with particular emphasis on the objectives of this growth. For ease of discussion, political, economic and military objectives will be evaluated separately, although, in reality, these aims are often closely intertwined and dependent on each other. This analysis will reveal why the Soviet Union, once regarded strictly as a continental power, is now a maritime superpower and, given her economic development plans, will become even more dependent on her merchant fleet in the future

Russian-American relations in northeast Asia during the nineteenth century

Why, at the end of the nineteenth century, did the long Russo-American friendship turn into a bitter rivalry? Why was Manchuria prized sufficiently by each to risk jeopardizing this friendship? In answering these questions an attempt is made to view the relationship from both the Russian and American standpoints, since the actions of one, whether economic, political or military, frequently prompted counter-moves from the other.;To obtain a broad perspective the whole century is included. Attention is centered on Northeast Asia, for it was in that region that Russian-American interactions were most numerous and where the expansionist drives of both nations finally intersected. The study traces how the geographic gap was gradually bridged across the North Pacific.;Throughout the century these interactions stemmed primarily from the initiatives of private individuals and businesses--fur hunters, whalers, merchants and entrepreneurs. Consideration of these private contacts and the process through which the two governments were slowly drawn into confrontation provides one of the underlying themes explaining the estrangement.;In order to understand the historic foundations of the amicable relations, attention is directed at the high degree of cooperation displayed during the 1850s and 1860s. Highlighted are the circumstances surrounding the benevolent neutrality exhibited toward Russia during the Crimean War and Russia\u27s reciprocation during the American Civil War. Although both governments were drawn more deeply into the affairs of Northeast Asia, the results at mid-century seemed mutually beneficial. Russia acquired the Amur region, and the United States was permitted to purchase Alaska.;By contrast, examination of the escalating events of the 1890s--the political turmoil in Korea, the construction of Russia\u27s Siberian railroad, the defeat of China by Japan, the subsequent diplomatic successes of Russia and the projection of American seapower into the Far East--reveals heightened competition between Russia and the United States and deteriorating relations. The Russian advance into Manchuria, which appeared about to frustrate America\u27s own last opportunity to gain a foothold in Northeast Asia, was viewed with particular concern.;The study concludes with an outline of the pressures placed on the McKinley administration to safeguard American interests in Manchuria and an analysis of the procedures adopted. American insistence on an open door policy, a tactic designed primarily to check Russian expansion into Manchuria, and Russian resistance to it brought to a close the long period of previously unquestioned friendship. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)

Helsinki corridors : ways of European expansion and development

Efficient distribution of human and goods transport has always been an important element in maintaining the economic systems cohesion. Together with the economic and technological development, the purposes to attain this goal have considerably evolved. The integration of the Centre, Eastern and South-Eastern European countries’ infrastructure in the European transport networks has as a main goal the promotion of networks’ interconnection and interoperability. This is done through concentrating upon some specific infrastructure routes located on the trajectory of 10 pan-European transport corridors, which pass through geographical zones in many countries, some of them EU members, and others undergoing a process of negotiation (Turkey). Pan-European Corridors will have immediate effects like: the growth of investments in infrastructure thanks to European funds – for developing countries, this will represent an important part as it welcomes a development of the economy, especially in crises; the favouring of conditions for the functioning and administration of globalization; the growth of cooperation both among Eastern countries and between such countries and Western countries; conditions for the recovery of economic differences between West and East; conditions for the recovery of the development in accordance with the policy of European countries and other candidate countries.peer-reviewe

The Next Geographical Pivot

In the summer of 2007, when the Russian fl ag was placed on the ocean fl oor at the North Pole and the Arctic ice cover receded to the lowest extent ever recorded, the media sought story lines that would grab the public’s attention. Titles and headlines such as “Arctic Meltdown,” “A New Cold War,” and “Arctic Land Grab,” focusing on Russian activities in the Arctic, all fed a sense of competition, conflict, and crisis

The establishment of the integrated logistics system in the region connection to the Korean peninsula

The objective of the study aims at enhancing the understanding of intra-Northeast Asia connectivity, particularly between the Korean Peninsula and mainland Northeast Asia, i.e. China, Far East of the Russian Federation and Mongolia. The Study Report on the “Establishment of the Integrated Logistics System in the Region Connecting to the Korean Peninsula” provides overview of existing transport and logistics corridors of China and the Russian Federation connecting to the Korean Peninsula. Technical standards on infrastructure and other data of relevance were made available in the report. The report also proposes new transport and logistics corridors as well as options on institutional mechanisms which may further enhance cross-borders transport and logistics connectivity in the subregion

Soviet Northern Development, With Some Alaskan Parallels and Contrasts

The State of Alask

An analysis of the role of the Baltic states ports in the trans Siberian railway market

Metadata merged with duplicate record (http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/448) on 20.12.2016 by CS (TIS).This is a digitised version of a thesis that was deposited in the University Library. If you are the author please contact PEARL Admin ([email protected]) to discuss options.Almost all the people involved in the shipping industry have come in touch from time to time with what is known as container transit. Some of these people may be working in one way or another in this field, whilst others may be familiar with the meaning and the importance of container transit. This research aims to examine the potential of the Baltic States' ports as transit gateways for the Trans Siberian container market. This work is divided in two parts, the theoretical and the practical. The first part of the study provides a theoretical presentation of the construct under investigation, starting with an introduction, presenting the objectives of this study, an overview of the region, the structure of the thesis and the limitations of the study. The next chapter focuses on providing a historical overview of the Baltic Sea region in order to establish the historical background of the countries involved in this trade while under the Soviet rule. Gradually the circle of the research will be widened and will concentrate on presenting and analysing the Trans Siberian Railway, along with various future projects that can influence its future performance. Also, the Baltic States will be initially presented individually but then will be analysed as gateway markets for containers in competition with Finland. In addition, the most important future factors that can influence the potential of the Baltic States' ports as a gateway market for containers will be analysed followed by an advanced literature review, better known as content analysis. Last but not least, a conceptual model will be designed in order to present a summary of the whole work so far. The second part of this research is the technical part and includes the statistical techniques applied in order to derive composite policies for the Baltic States. Initially, the scaling development is presented along with the derivation of the scale for this study and the statistical tests that determined the final form of the questionnaires. The next chapter is divided in four sections providing: a background for the experts participating in this research, the application and results from conducting Analysis of Variance and t-tests, as well as a descriptive statistical analysis of each one of the statements included in the questionnaire along with anecdotal data and comments derived from the experts in the region. The final section in this chapter presents a set of policies that is believed can be useful to the companies involved in that region. Moreover, the last chapter of this study provides a presentation of the problems which occurred while undertaking this research, as well as a discussion concerning further research. 111The Lloyd's Tercentenary Foundation and the University of Plymout