vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #164 / Opinion / Reading article...

Things are tough in Sakhalin – as they are all over in provincial Russia. As cities begin to empty out in the northern part of the island, it would be easy to throw in the towel.

That’s what the federal government seems to be doing with its plans to encourage the exodus, and instead import temporary workers from the south to work on oil-drilling projects.

The Sakhalin oblast administration is right to resist such schemes. Sakhalin is on the cusp of an enormous development as foreign and domestic companies begin pumping offshore oil. Multi-billion developments inevitably will spread the wealth down to everyday workers – from waiters to mechanics. Despite the island’s woes, Sakhalin’s enormous oil resourses put it in an enviable position (no wonder Primorye Gov. Yevgeny Nazdratenko once daydreamed about annexing the island).

In many parts of the world, people looking to develop backward economies must rely on tourism or other options of limited potential. Sakhalin has billions of dollars lying under the shelf just offshore. Now is the worst time to give up.