Publication

This edition of Russian Analytical Digest considers regional integration in light of the recent debate about Vladimir Putin's proposal of creating a Eurasian Union project. In the first article, Katharina Hoffmann considers the plan for a Eurasian Union against the background of other attempts at regional integration since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and argues that the reality of the project will likely fall short of deep integration. In the second article, Gennady Chufrin assesses both the achievements of and problems facing the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union, and concludes that the increasing involvement of private business actors promises much for the future development of the project. In the third article, Marlène Laruelle investigates the views of other post-Soviet states about Russian-led integration projects and the idea of a Eurasian Union, and suggests that a key element underlying the prevailing skepticism is the low level of trust in the Kremlin’s capabilities and capacity to effectively manage such an integration project.