Summary
Russia's WTO announcement is important for four reasons beyond international trade. Russia, like the Nazis in the 1930s is desperqate to shore up its currency by forging a trade bloc based around the ruble and by undermining the sovereignty of its neighbors by compelling them to join it. Since it is unlikely this announcment was coordinated with Belarus and Kazakhstan it shows Moscow's contempt for their sovereignty. Finally, this announcement illustrates Moscow's perennial demand for a special status in all internatioinal fora and thus special rights and privileges in them.
Analysis
This development is critical for four reasons other than international trade. It shows Russia's desperate desire to shore up the ruble's value by trying to force its neighobrs into a ruble bloc to pump up demand. This is the same tactic used by Berlin in the 1930s to undermine the independence of Eastern Eruope and has the same implicaitons today. Second, it shows Russia's contempt for the sovereignty of Kazakhstan and Belarus as well as all other post-Soviet states. This announdement clearly was not coordinated with those states given the current tensions with Belarus. Third, it reflects Russia's ongoing demand for privileged status and rights of membership in international fora, regardless of the merits of the case and Russia's actual power. Finally this is another example of the intense efforts launched by Medvedev and Putin to create a closed Russian bloc in the CIS and undermine these stae's ability to play an independent role in world affairs.
