Can Russia’s own ‘belt and road’ project make a big impact?
Anton Tsvetov says Moscow’s reasons for rolling out the Greater Eurasian Partnership aren’t hard to understand, given today’s great power competition. But its inexperience may undermine its ambition
The project has so far remained largely unnoticed, but those who do speak or write about it tend to fall into two categories. Some dismiss it as a neo-imperial idea, empty of substance and meant merely to bolster Russia’s great power image. Others – mostly Kremlin-inspired pundits – see it as Russia’s new civilisational project of the century, bound to propel it towards leadership in all Eurasia.
Both visions are equally wrong. The Greater Eurasian Partnership is not void of substance; it actually has some precise economic content – surprisingly so, given the general incoherence of Russia’s Asia policy. At the same time, it is meant to produce a decent public relations effect, regardless of the actual success, which may come in handy since implementing the initiative in full will be an extremely challenging task.