RUSSIA IN THE PURSUIT OF EURASIAN INTEGRATION: DEVELOPMENTAL REGIONALISM OR IDENTITY PROJECT?

After two decades of declarative regional initiatives among the post-Soviet states, the signing of the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty in May of 2014 received controversial responses, both within and outside the region, on possible motives for this regional integration project. Some commentators warned about the re-Sovietisation of the region and such comments are not uncommon. The main purpose of this study is to assess the possible motives of actors (i.e., political elites, businesses, nationalist forces) in Russia in promoting or opposing Eurasian regionalism. Although the literature on regional integration processes among postSoviet states is voluminous, it is characterised by the dominance of the geopolitics in explaining Russia-centred regional initiatives. This study is an attempt to apply contemporary criticalconstructivist regionalism theories that focus on the understanding of how regions are constructed. It is argued that the actors in Russia are engaged in Eurasian regionalism not only being motivated by material factors and power distribution, but their actions are mainly informed by their ideas and identities. These ideas and identities, which are constantly changing in the process of interaction, shape the progress and content of the regionalisation in the Central Eurasia.