Arms Sales and R ussia's F uture as an A sian P ower

The study of a country's arms sales opens up pathways for investigating its domestic and foreign policies. Arms sales are also a phenomenon that is greatly affected by globalization. This is certainly the case for Russia, especially as regards its arms sales to Asia. This article analyzes R ussian arms sales to A sia and finds that despite M oscow's professed optimism that it can continue to maintain a competitive edge and its standing as a key A sian military power, there are many reasons for serious concern. These concerns relate to the quality of R ussian weapons, to the domestic struggle for resources within a thoroughly corrupt defense industrial sector, and to external forces such as C hinese and S outh K orean producers who now compete with R ussia in the global and A sian arms markets. Such trends may lead not only to a decline in R ussia's overall standing and capabilities in A sia, but also to a transformation of A sia's strategic landscape.