THE POWER ASYMMETRIES IN THE EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION

Abstract

Since the dissolution of the USSR, the complete break of the economic relations in the region has been seen as an unfavorable scenario. Regional economic integration has been ignited immediately after the dissolution of the USSR, but the power relations are in disbalance in the integration structures. While Russia is overpoweringly out weighting its partners in the Eurasian integration, the members all share their own agenda for regional collaboration giving them pivot in negotiations. The core of the Eurasian economic integration lies within the interest of its three main igniting members: Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. They dictate to the extent what is the direction in which the economic collaboration is developed. The smaller member states try to find edges to promote their own agenda basing strongly on geopolitics and Russia uses the integration for establishing its own position in global geopolitics. This master thesis creates an insight on how in EAEU negotiations the parties with vast disparity in the negotiation power negotiate and come to mutually beneficial agreements. The goal of this study is to describe the disbalance in negotiating power between the members of the EAEU and apply the asymmetry to the practical means of negotiating mutually beneficial agreements within the economic region. By the nature economical dimensions of the EAEU are under political layers. In the smaller EAEU member countries, Russia is the most logical partner for condensing cooperation politically and economically in the EAEU member countries. The negotiation power of the smaller EAEU member countries can be greater than their absolute statistical sizes are economically due to the active relationships with other partners, bilateral agreements, cultural ties with Russia and location, combined with interdependence between Russia and the smaller EAEU members. Political weight of these countries inside the union is not possible to compare in a linear way, but indirectly observations suggests that there is a leeway to balance between Chinese and very limitedly between Western sphere of influence. This applies more in case of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz role follows its Northern neighbor’s path. Cross appeal between the Central Asian members and Russia towards the nature of the union is anyway clear. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as well as in the European part Belarus, are willing to see EAEU more as an economic union, while Russia is also very interested in the security aspects and geopolitics, essentially utilizing the small EAEU members to reinforce own positions in this field.