Russia — Ukraine: Entering a New Phase

Playing both sides: Belarus between Russia and the EU

“…30 In part this is simply a natural product of the decay of the post-Soviet space, through which the populations and elites of the newly independent states have acquired what Arkady Moshes calls the "habit of independence." 31 Belarus was long thought to be an outlier in this process. Lukashenko, after all, came to power on a platform of reintegration with Russia in opposition to the nationalist agenda.…”

Roles and Realities in Russian Foreign Policy

“…The decisions of this body, the Eurasian Economic Commission, are automatically incorporated into the legal base of the Customs Union and Common Economic Space, without needing additional ratification45 . It is planned that the ECU will transition to a fully-fledged economic union by January 201546 . The ECU boasts a 167 millionstrong population, a combined GDP of US$2 trillion and a goods turnover of US$900 billion, but Russia makes up approximately nine tenths of the ECU's joint economic potential and is by far its strongest member47 .Several structural factors aid in the ECU's promotion of Russia's leading regional role.…”

“…Whilst the dependence of Belarus on Russian subsidies makes its membership of the ECU a necessary choice, the picture for Kazakhstan is more complex. Membership is hoped to increase access to energy markets, and to Russian energy transit routes to Europe51 , but in the short term at least, Kazakhstan appears to have suffered. The most economically liberal of the founder ECU states,…”