The Role of Kazakhstan in the Eurasian Economic Union Development Process: Discussing Eurasianism through the Kazakhstani External Policy Prism [védés előtt]

Kivonat, rövid leírás

While extensive work has been conducted on analyzing the emergence of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) as a potential competitor to the European Union, generating scientific inquiries about its structure and objectives, there is less work being done on examining whether this new economic union will remodel the economic relations within the Member-States and shape the economic landscape of the Eurasian continent. There is no doubt that unions can bring together diversified States with independent internal affairs, various foreign policy goals, and different economic indexes. The understanding of how these States with diversified characteristics can generate unique and common policies through proportionate contributions is crucial in the field of international relationships. The theoretical framework is connected to institutionalism theories as the study concerns the creation of the EEU. Considering the prevalence of interstate dynamics, the study will also integrate discussions on small states and their strategies. For a more in-depth and comprehensive argument, it will analyze the motivations and mechanisms incentivizing the member states to join the EEU and how the concept of Eurasianism shapes their integration path and policy directions. This research will further focus on Kazakhstan's involvement in the EEU and its impact on the country’s geopolitics, dealing with various interests due to its geographical proximity and abundant natural resources. As the competition between the Western and Eastern policies intensifies, the country encounters growing challenges in determining its geopolitical alignment. It also attempts to investigate how Kazakhstan has emerged as the driving force behind the formation of the EEU, the origination of this idea, and the motivations behind Kazakhstan's pursuit of its foreign policy. The research is targeted at reaching a better understanding of Kazakhstan's place in the international arena and its efforts to shape regional dynamics. According to experts, Kazakhstan has the potential to elevate the power of cooperative diplomacy within the Central Asia region and to safely enter the world's geopolitical system (Supyaldiyarov et al., 2024). By examining Kazakhstan's contributions and assessing the impact of the EEU on its economic growth, this research is oriented toward the expansion of the existing scope of knowledge and the provision of a comprehensive understanding of the topic. Meanwhile, scholars emphasize that the geopolitical order in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, has been influenced by fluctuating relations between the US and Russia (Bohr, 2004). This condition has pushed the Central-Asian States to navigate among the complexities of balancing sovereignty and the influence of stronger powers. Despite the fact that these States are exercising the solid sovereignty and freedom to remain neutral and pick their partners, the geopolitical context and strategic geographical location put them amidst overlapping interests and competing global powers (Perini, 2023). According to the results of this study, the EEU member-states pursue specific national objectives while joining the Eurasian integration, mainly due to the limited national resources and locational disadvantage. Such activities are more typical for small states with political and economic capabilities, relying accordingly on group actions (Keohane, 1960). Thus, they utilize integration organizations to safeguard their interests and foster a collective identity in the global community. The EEU has likely been unsuccessful from an economic point of view despite entering the Russian labor market as one of the main motivating factors for member-states to join the union. On the other hand, the current geopolitical situation related to the Russian-Ukrainian war and sanctions towards Russia inevitably impacts the volume of mutual trade within the EEU. Yet, the legal status of migrant workers inside the EEU has improved, and the benefits from the harmonization of customs and trade regulations could be considerable in the long run.