TY - THES ID - 134669634 TI - Development Aid and Natural Resources: How Russia Became an Emerging Donor AU - Shadrikova, Arina AU - Boeck, Filip de. AU - K.U.Leuven. Faculteit Sociale Wetenschappen. Opleiding Master of Cultures and Development Studies PY - 2013 PB - Leuven K.U.Leuven. Faculteit Sociale Wetenschappen DB - UniCat UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:134669634 AB - New donor countries appear in the international development, and Russia is one of those. The process of becoming a donor is complex and unclear. The case of Russia is unique from the cultural perspective, because it was not just the transit from the state A (the soviet one) to the state B (democracy), and from recipient (in the 1990s) to donor (2000s). It was a rapid transit that coincided with the social and cultural changes. The big question is what allowed Russia to emerge as a donor country at the international development arena. This needs to understand the background of Russian political ambition to be called as a donor country, and the tendency of being the strong state with almost authoritarian regime. First of all, it deals with internal development of Russia, in which the core issues were not limited to the economic and administrative changes, but also included creation of civil society. The received foreign development aid (official assistance) of the 1990s had a great impact on the Russian transit. Moreover, this impact was much more evident in civil society sphere, where the ideals of freedom and democracy prevailed.Secondly, the practice of international development assistance doesnÂt demonstrate the rapid transformation of countries and turn of recipient status into donor. Russia is the international law successor of the USSR. Together with the debts of less developed countries, Russia could get as well power weapon, natural and mineral resources, industrial and other assets. The key is the natural resources and the how the state (the government) could manage them for the strengthening the order and presenting Russia as developed nation. It is the issue deeply linked with cultural and mentality aspects, and it reflected as well on the relationship between the state, business and civil society.Thirdly, what does the donorship mean in Russian and for Russia? Depending on the interpretation and adaptation to the country political system, Russia is s ER -