Will the Eurasian Economic Union Become “an Improved Version of the European Union”?

Abstract

This article analyzes the diffi culties and obstacles to the implementation of the project of the Eurasian Economic Union (issues: leadership in the union, starting positions, the external conditions, the effectiveness of institutions, the current multi-directional foreign economic interests, the threat of rise of ethnic nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism, drug trafficking, competition from China). As a result, the author comes to the conclusion that Russia has no other alternative. In order to remain the position of an important actor in international relations, Russian Federation has to build its own «pole of power» in the post-Soviet space. Therefore, the rejection of the integration project in terms of increasing internal and external threats counterproductive both for Russia and for other countries of the EAEU. Refs 16.