Eurasian integration and the development of Asiatic Russiaстатья
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Дата последнего поиска статьи во внешних источниках: 19 декабря 2018 г.
Аннотация:This paper argues that Russia’s strategic objective of developing its Asiatic regions is tiedto its serious intentions in Asia as a whole. It stresses that Russia can only connect to thepolitical, economic, and cultural life of Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific through its own Asianregions. Moreover, leaders’ claims that Russia belongs to both Europe and Asia will carrylittle weight with their Asiatic neighbors if Russia’s own Asiatic regions remain underde-veloped and subject to shrinking populations. The paper critically analyzes the results ofvarious projects of development of Asiatic Russia beginning from late tsarist period untilthe 21st century and shows that Russia needs to put forward a formal strategy for devel-oping the Eurasian infrastructure that is comparable to the SREB, Kazakhstan’s NurlyZhol(Bright Path) economic stimulus plan, Mongolia’s Steppe Road, and others. This strategyshould reflect Russia’s objectives for the economic development of its own Asiatic regions,and through them, the co-development with its neighbors of Eurasia generally. It arguesthat the Trans-Eurasian Belt Development, put forward by several Russia think tanks, couldbecome Russia’s contribution to the development of the Eurasian space and mesh with theChinese, Kazakh, Mongolian, and other partner initiatives. Its implementation would helpspur the economic development of Asiatic Russia, enabling that region to become part ofthe larger economic development of Eurasia. That would help turn Russia into a more im-portant independent and constructive player in the Eurasian space, acting in close coordinationwith its partners in both the East and the West.