Full Description
As Eurasia and the adjacent territories become more important to the world, there is increasing interest from international powers, accompanied by attempts to give institutional form to traditional economic and security links within the region. This book includes a range of substantive work from scholars based in the region, offering contrasting perspectives on the process of Eurasian integration and its place in the world. Chapters consider economic, political, social and security developments, with notable studies of the major countries involved in the development of the Eurasian Economic Union. The work also examines the connections between the region and China, greater Asia and the European Union. It outlines the varying dynamics, with populations growing in Central Asia while at best stagnant elsewhere. The book discusses the increasing strategic significance of the region and explores how the new post-Soviet states are growing in national cohesion and political self-confidence. Above all, the book examines the concept of 'Eurasia', outlining the debates about the concept and how various aspects of the legacy of 'Eurasianism' contribute to contemporary plans for integration. The book argues that although regional integration is very much a popular idea in our age, with the potential for economic benefits and increased international influence, in practice contemporary projects for Eurasian integration have been highly ambiguous and contested. Nevertheless, significant steps have been taken towards the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union. The book analyses developments to date, noting the achievements as well as the challenges.
Contents
Introduction 1. Challenges of Eurasian Integration 2. Eurasianism as a 'Philosophy of Nation' 3. Eurasianism as an Idea, Civilisational Concept and Integration Challenge 4. Eurasian Economic Union: Achievements and Prospects 5. Russia and the Eurasian Union 6. Kazakhstan and Eurasian Integration 7. Belarus between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union 8. Ukraine: Between Europe and Eurasia 9. Ukraine between Eurasia and Europe 10. The EU and the Eurasian Union: Between Partnership and Threat? 11. Europeanisation and the Eurasian Economic Union 12. Central Asia: From Peripherality to Centrality 13. Central Asian Perspectives on Eurasian Regionalism 14. Turkey: Rising Power or Emerging Dream 15. The Historic Development of Eurasia's Regional Structure 16. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, China and Eurasian Integration 17. The Eurasian Moment in Global Politics: A Comparative Analysis of Great Power Strategies for Regional Integration 18. Eurasia: the Burden of Responsibility
