Eurasian Economic Unit Project by Experts’ Evaluations

N Vasilieva; Maria Lagutina

Natalia Vasilieva - Dr. of Philosophy, Professor at the Department of Global Politics of the School of International Relations of the Saint-Petersburg State University, 7-9, University Embankment, St. Petersburg, Russia; E-mail: nbasil@sir.edu

Marina Lagutina - PhD in Political Science, Senior Lecturer, School of International Relations, Saint-Petersburg State University, 7-9, University Embankment, St. Petersburg, Russia; Е-mail: manipolis@hotmail.com

Abstract

Political decisions of the Eurasian states leaders (Kazakhstan, Russia and Belorussia) and the vivid discussion within academic and expert community of a Eurasian Union establishment led to a rise in research in integration processes within the post soviet area. The presented article discusses prospects of a new global-regional integration project (Eurasian Union). The purpose of this paper is to analyze experts’ opinions and explore prospects of the Eurasian Union. The authors describe and analyze various points of view on the problem. “Eurasian optimists” and “Eurasian skeptics” were identified within this analysis. It was also demonstrated that the leaders and policy makers of the main world states (EU, USA, China) do not have a conceptual opinion on a Eurasian Union project. The reason of such attitude could be attributed to the negative outcomes of the last 20 years integration within the post soviet area. The authors of the article present their own vision of the political and economical prospects of the Eurasian Union. Summing up pros and cons of the Eurasian project the authors come to the conclusion that the position of Eurasian optimists is more justified as a shift from a state-centered system to a global system with regional associations of states as actors is one of the modern trends. Therefore, the Eurasian Union establishment is seen as an objective tendency of the world development.

Reference

Brzezinski Z. (2012) Balancing the East, Upgrading the West: U.S Grand Strategy in an Age of Upheaval. Foreign Affairs, January/February. Available at: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/136754/zbigniew-brzezinski/balancing-the-east-upgrading-the-west (accessed 1 October 2013).

Clover Ch. (2012) Clinton Vows to the Thwart New Soviet Union. Financial Times, 6 December. Available at: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a5b15b14-3fcf-11e2-9f71-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2ShFUAOnl (accessed 1 October 2013).

Gladkij J. (2012) Neoevrazijstvo - geopolitika bez geojekonomiki [Neoeurasionism – Geopolitics without Geoeconomy]. Available at: http://www.levgumilev.spbu.ru/node/158 (accessed 1 October 2013).

Inozemcev V., Kuznecova E. (2012) Evrazijskij Sojuz Moskvy – vyrazhenie geopoliticheskogo voljuntarizma [Moscow-led Eurasian Union: Expression of Political Voluntarism]. Available at: http://www.germania-online.ru/publikacii/ip/ip-detail/datum/2012/04/17/bespoleznaja-igrushka-putina.html (accessed 1 October 2013).

Ishakov D. (2000) Kritika novoj evrazijskoj ideologii v Tatarstane [Criticism of New Eurasian Ideology in Tatarstan]. Evrazijstvo: istoriko-kul'turnoe nasledie i perspektivy razvitija, Ufa: Izdatel'stvo «Vostochnyj universitet».

Ivashov L. (2012) Evrazijskij sojuz - garant ustojchivosti miroporjadka XXI stoletija [Eurasian Union – Guarantor of Word Order]. Voenno-promyshlennyj kur'er, vol. 18, 9 May. Available at: http://www.russianskz.info/politics/3191-evraziyskiy-soyuz-garant-ustoychivosti-miroporyadka-hhi-stoletiya.html (accessed 1 October 2013).

Karaganov S. (2012) Rossii snova vezet [Russia is lucky again]. Vedomosti, 22.02.2012, vol. 32 (3046). Available at: http://www.vedomosti.ru/opinion/news/1510692/rossii_snova_vezet?full#cut (accessed 1 October 2013).

Knjazev A. (2012) Kazahstana v budushhem ne budet [There will be no Kazakhstan in future]. RusiansKz.Info. Available at: http://www.russianskz.info/politics/3343-pogadat-na-sssr-a-knyazev-kazahstana-v-buduschem-ne-budet.html (accessed 1 October 2013).

Kosolapov N. (2005) Globalizacija: territorial'no-prostranstvennyj aspekt [Globalisation: territorial and spatial aspect]. Mirovaja jekonomika i mezhdunarodnye otnoshenija, vol. 6.

Mankoff J. (2012) What a Eurasian Union Means for Washington? April 19. Available at: http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/what-eurasian-union-means-washington-6821?page=2 (accessed 1 October 2013).

Nazarbaev N.A. (2011) Evrazijskij Sojuz: ot idei k istorii budushhego [Eurasian Union: from idea towards future history]. Izvestija, 25 October. Available at: http://izvestia.ru/news/504908 (accessed 1 October 2013).

Parag Kh. (2008) Algoritmy «Vtorogo Mira» [Algorithms of the “Second World”]. Available at: http://www.politizdat.ru/interview/66/ (accessed 1 October 2013).

Parag Kh (2008) The Second World Empires and Influence in the New Global Order, New York: Random House.

Sachko G. (2005) Evrazija v mirovoj politike retrospektivnyj i perspektivnyj diskursy [Eurasia in the world politics: retrospective and prospective discourses]. Available at: http://www.lib.csu.ru/vch/10/2005_01/001.pdf (accessed 1 October 2013).

Temkov K. (2000) Strategicheskoe polozhenie Balkanskogo poluostrova[Strategic location of Balkan Peninsula], Moscow: Dialog Evrazii.

Toma A. (2011) Evrazijskij proekt: vzgljad iz Belarusi [Eurasian project: a view from Belorussia]. Available at: http://tpp- inform.ru/global/1807.html (accessed 1 October 2013).

Toshhenko Zh. (1997) Postsovetskoe prostranstvo: Suverenizacija i integracija. Jetnosociologicheskie ocherki. [Postsoviet space: souverainism and integration. Ethnosociological Essays], Moscow: RGGU.

Trenin D. (2012) Rossija i strany SNG: «vzroslenie» otnoshenij [Russian and CIS countries: developing relationships]. Available at: http://russiancouncil.ru/inner/?id_4=84#top (accessed 1 October 2013).

Vinokurov E., Libman A. (2012) Postsovetskij integracionnyj proryv. [Post-soviet integration breakthrough]. Available at: http://www.globalaffairs.ru/number/Postsovetskii-integratcionnyi-proryv-15529 (accessed 1 October 2013).

Contacts

N Vasilieva, Maria Lagutina

Eurasian Economic Unit Project by Experts’ Evaluations