The several region-building cycles that have taken place amongst post-Soviet states did not result in an integrated regional organisation and are therefore considered failed by scholars. Despite...Show moreThe several region-building cycles that have taken place amongst post-Soviet states did not result in an integrated regional organisation and are therefore considered failed by scholars. Despite the disappointing results so far, the ambition to establish a viable regional organisation lives on and was put back on the agenda in several countries in the region, nowadays collectively referred to as Eurasia. This revitalisation has resulted in the Eurasian Economic Union, a new agent that is supposed to turn the tide in the process of region-building amongst post-Soviet states. The first part of this research compares the EAEU with its predecessors and provides answers on how the EAEU attempts to break with the legacy of unsuccessful regionalism. The second part is devoted to a comparative analysis on the EAEU and EU, which the young regional organisation claims to emulate. This examination covers the analysis and synthesis of similarities and patterns in fields where forms of emulation are acknowledgeable. The outcomes are presented though linking the results of two comparative analyses with primary data obtained through questionnaires. Lastly, within this thesis the uniqueness of Eurasia as a symbioses of Asian and European traditions plays a central role.Show less
Through an extensive analysis of speeches and statements of President Vladimir Putin of the Russian federation, an ideological shift towards Eurasianism is assessed. By comparing Putin’s discourse...Show moreThrough an extensive analysis of speeches and statements of President Vladimir Putin of the Russian federation, an ideological shift towards Eurasianism is assessed. By comparing Putin’s discourse with regard to Crimea, religion and what it means to be Russian with public opinion polls published by the Levada-Center, the contemporary place of identity in Russia is reconfigured. I propose a new ‘pick-and-mix’ type of Eurasianism, in which Russia’s uniqueness is established in political speeches and statements, but in which the reason for this special nature remains fluid. Public opinion and Putin’s discourse do not always line up with regard to the nature of Russian identity, showing how multiple narratives are colliding in the public sphere.Show less
Eurasianism is a diverse ideology that exists in Russia and Kazakhstan. Aleksandr Dugin and Nursultan Nazarbayev propagate this ideology in their respective countries but envision their own country...Show moreEurasianism is a diverse ideology that exists in Russia and Kazakhstan. Aleksandr Dugin and Nursultan Nazarbayev propagate this ideology in their respective countries but envision their own country in the centre of Eurasia.Show less
The scholarly debate about the Mongol yoke in Western and Russian circles has been an ongoing discussion since the seventeenth century that particularly revived after the collapse of the Soviet...Show moreThe scholarly debate about the Mongol yoke in Western and Russian circles has been an ongoing discussion since the seventeenth century that particularly revived after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Although the extent to which the Mongol conquest has exerted influence on Russia’s institutions has been widely debated among scholars, no consensus has been reached so far. This thesis has sought to understand how the debate about the Mongol yoke evolved over the past two centuries in order to explain what this reveals about Russia’s current state of self-identification. Three periods proved to be key. During the first period Russian imperial historians formulated a so called ‘black legend’. The second period is characterised by a ‘white legend’ that was created by Eurasianists. The third period proves that the debate has become highly idealized for geopolitical goals. Such diverse outcomes acknowledge that Russians are in search for an identity that is not Western or European. Still, the Mongol legacy is no ideal solution either. The Mongol period solely forms an acceptable solution for the time being. However, since the identity debate is still undecided it is not likely that Mongol ‘yoke’ in academic circles will be lifted any time soon.Show less
