On October 4, Izvestia published an article on the front page, written by Vladimir Putin in which he outlines plans for the creation of a Eurasian Union. Putin describes the Eurasian Union as a rational outgrowth of all of the transnational institutions in the post-Soviet space since the collapse of the Soviet Union. This union would not have a specific ideological commitment (because those involved in it do not need to reaffirm that they ostensibly share gradations of the same hybrid regime approach) but rather an economic commitment to reducing barriers to trade, capital, and labor. It is not surprising that this initiative comes at a time when many are speculating “whither Russia” as Putin has declared his intention to return to the presidency. But like Putin’s declaration for the presidency, his plan to establish a Eurasian Union also seems unsurprising. Former Kremlin political advisor, Gleb Pavlovsky, stated that he cannot remember an election in Russia since 1996 where someone did not promise to reestablish or restore what was lost in the collapse of the USSR. The Jamestown Foundation is inherently skeptical about the project to create a Eurasian Union, stating that against all proclamations that the new Union would be non-ideological or political, but economic are window dressing on Moscow’s desire to reclaim territory and wealth lost since 1992. Some have challenged the West, stating that the Eurasian Union is the only viable option for the post-Soviet states (excluding the Baltics) for greater economic integration into the global economy since EU and other western offers for integration have been weak at best. While yet others remain skeptical about whether the former Soviet satellites, especially Ukraine will join the union. Regardless of the ideological content of the Eurasian Union, its declaration marks an interesting shift (or return) in Russia’s role in international affairs. One of the foundational parts of Putin’s article is his vision of a different kind of globalization than preached at the WTO and in Western circles, where individual states become interconnected through Richardian comparative advantage and an increasingly global and liberal world market. Putin states that in order to diffuse another potential economic meltdown like 2008 Global Recession, large regional integration blocs could serve to absorb shocks and prevent catastrophe (how this would happen is unclear). On the Europe-Eurasian landmass, Putin posits the European and Eurasian Unions will become the primary economic movers, while organizations like ASEAN, NAFTA, and APEC would become other centers of power and “integration.” – Wilder Bullard, staff contributor
