The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is expected to maintain its priority in the Russian foreign policy doctrine during Putin’s presidency for the coming six years. The consolidation of the economy and reconciliation of energy policies of the regimes cooperating through similar grounds such as the Eurasian Economic Community (EURASEC ) will be the focus of Russian efforts as Putin replaces Medvedev.In the Russian newspaper Izvestia, Putin recently wrote that the “Eurasian Union” should be built on the inheritance of the Soviet Union:”infrastructure, a developed system of regional production specialization, and a common space of language, science, and culture.”
The issue of CIS integration is clearly important for Putin. Just two weeks after the Izvestia article appeared, he hosted a meeting of prime ministers from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Ukraine in St. Petersburg and triumphantly announced an agreement to form a free-trade zone after years of fruitless negotiations in October 2011.
After the collapse of the USSR, especially together with the rise of Putin, Russia directed its policy priorities toward re-establishing a so-called “sphere of influence” in strict realpolitik terms. Putin’s efforts at further economic consolidation are considered to be in a similar vein to the mercantilist approach of nineteenth century powers within the international system. Read More
