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Submitted by Elevenn on March 12, 2008
Category: Social Issues
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RUSSIA'S FOREIGN POLICY AND EURASIANISM
Dmitry Shlapentokh:9/02/05A
EurasiaNet Commentary
Recent developments in Central Asia -- with Russian geopolitical influence again rising, while US power in the region wanes – stand to invigorate a long-running debate over the philosophical foundation of the Kremlin's foreign policy. The turn of events could breathe new life into so-called Eurasianists, who argue that Russia has a unique identity and should thus embark on a development course apart from the West.
Since the Soviet collapse in 1991, Russian academics and policy-makers have struggled to develop a concept that could guide Russia's revival. Westernizers and Eurasianists have played prominent roles in the ongoing debate. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Eurasianism as a political philosophy was first advanced by leading Russian émigré thinkers in the 1920s, including Nikolai Trubetskoi and Pyotr Savitsky. Today, the concept remains ill-defined – a hodge-podge of themes that have guided Moscow's development over the centuries. Inherent in Eurasianist thinking are notions of benevolent imperialism, Orthodox messianic qualities and a belief that a "third way" of economic development is possible – a path between capitalism and communism. In addition, there is a vital geographical component to Eurasianism, dictating that Russia should control the Eurasian heartland, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Critics of the Eurasianist ideal say that its proponents are selective in their historical memory, tending to romanticize Tsarist Russia's imperial experience. Indeed, Russia's brutal behavior in Chechnya would seem to blow up the notion that Russia can act a benevolent leader of a cluster of states in search of a new development paradigm. Some say few differences separate Eurasianist thinking from the...
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