Incentives and constraints for Eurasian Integration

Incentives and constraints for Eurasian Integration:
Comparing to the Greater Europe initiative

Economic integration is a process that aims to reduce barriers that exist in economic, social, and cultural affairs between countries. Integration in its current format has risen significantly since the 1980s when several trade agreements were made to facilitate collaboration between developed and developing countries. However, in the case of Eurasia, there are incentives and constraints for such regional Integration. Moscow’s Greater Europe concept, founded on Gorbachev’s Common European Home, aimed to integrate Russia into a Europe without dividing lines. Greater Europe was destined to fail as Russia’s excessive reliance on an asymmetrical partnership enabled the EU to maximise its autonomy and influence. In contrast, the Greater Eurasia initiative empowers Moscow to skew the ‘balance of dependence’ by diversifying its partnership. Symmetry and equitable relations can be restored by increasing others’ dependence on Russia and concurrently ending Russia’s excessive reliance on any one state or region. While Greater Europe incentivised the Europeans to use collective bargaining power to marginalise and exclude Russia, the Greater Eurasia initiative offers strong systemic incentives to accommodate Russia on the vast continent. This lecture will make a comparison between the Greater Europe Initiative and Greater Eurasia Initiative.

Speaker: Glenn Diesen, Professor at the National Research University – Higher School of Economics, Moscow
Discussant: Gaukhar Nurgalieva, Head of Eurasian Studies , SKOLKOVO Institute for Emerging Markets Studies (IEMS)

The lecture will be followed by a presentation of the new DOC initiative on the “Eurasian Integration Index” which will introduce the dimensions of integration within the Eurasia Region.

Join us for this exciting presentation from the experts in the region.

Please register in advance to secure your place.