"Let's Make a Deal," Chukotka style

I have a special affection for the Chukotka region of the Russian Far East, having lived there for a semester of high school, so "3 Ways to Survive With No Governor" in yesterday's Moscow Times caught my eye. Long story short, it's one of the poorest provinces in Russia, whose governor is oil billionaire and English soccer club owner Roman Abramovich. Abramovich, who mostly lives in London, has spent a bunch of his own money on infrastructure in Chukotka.

The problem? According to the article, Abramovich won't be governor forever, so what to do after he's gone? Fortunately, the governor's staff has prepared a manual for governing Chukotka after his term ends in 2009. The manual outlines three options for the future:

The first proposal would be to convert Chukotka into a national park. This would mean relocating most of the non-native population to more developed parts of Russia and maintaining minimal infrastructure, mainly to assist the natives.

Under the second proposal, things would be left as they are now and federal subsidies would be increased to cover the costs of maintaining existing infrastructure. Subsidies accounted for 30 percent of the region's budget of 13.5 billion rubles ($505 billion) last year.

The third option -- by far the most ambitious and the one preferred by the regional administration -- would be to secure a wave of investment that would be used to explore Chukotka's under-researched natural reserves and build its underdeveloped infrastructure.

I think we can rule out Door Number One. Parks are great, but mass relocations are not. As for the second and third doors--well, Moscow has neglected Chukotka for decades. And investment in infrastructure and responsible resource development would be welcome. Although I wonder how big a voice the indigenous Chukchi themselves will have in any of this, considering the region is officially called the "Chukchi Autonomous Republic." OK, more on this later. Probably.