Regional integration via major powers: russian eurasian economic union versus chinese silk road economic belt versus american new silk road project

Year 2019, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 1 - 28, 30.04.2019

Otabek Omonkulov , Gürol Baba

https://doi.org/10.31454/usb.582691

Abstract

Great and regional
powers have been trying to influence/control Central Asia’s (CA)
political-economic fabric and development for the sake of their own strategic
interests via different politico-economic schemes. Especially, Russia, China
and the US are competing to inject their individual regional integration models
for reducing the influence of other great and regional powers. These models fall
in the category of extra-regional integration projects, which promote different
structured approaches. This paper explores the viability and major impacts of
great power-induced regional integration and their repercussions. It argues
that these projects are developed by and biased towards preserving the
influence of major powers, and lack viable framework to bring both global and
regional players into a path of long-term cooperation. Even if the great
powers’ regional integration approaches are divergent from each other, their
common point the asymmetry they apply when they are approaching the region. Primarily
they prioritized their own strategic interests while discarding CA states’ expectations
to a significant extent. However, if implemented successfully, it cannot be
ruled out that these projects may bring socioeconomic benefits to CA countries
at the expense of political independence. 

Keywords

Central Asia, Regional Integration, Eurasian Economic Union, Silk Road Economic Belt, New Silk Road

Büyük Güçler Aracılığıyla Bölgesel Bütünleşme : Rusya'nın Avrasya Ekonomik Birliği, Çin'in İpek Yolu Ekonomik Kuşağı ve ABD'nin Yeni İpek Yolu Projesi

Abstract

Büyük ve bölgesel güçler kendi stratejik çıkarları için çeşitli siyasal ve ekonomik projeler aracılığıyla Orta Asya'nın (OA) siyasi-ekonomik dokusu ve kalkınması üzerinde bir etki/kontrol kurmaya çalışmaktadırlar. Özellikle, Rusya, Çin ve ABD kendilerine özgü bölgesel bütünleşme modelleri sunarak bölgenin üzerinde bir tekel haline gelmek için mücadele etmektedir. Ayrıca, bu güçler son on yıldır çeşitli bölge dışı bütünleşme projelerini sürekli bir şekilde geliştirmektedir. OA için yapılandırılmış bölgesel bütünleşme modellerini öneren ve destekleyen mezkûr güçler günümüzde rekabet halinde olan üç büyük bütünleşme projesini gündeme getirmektedir. Bunlar Rusya’nın Avrasya Ekonomik Birliği projesi, Çin’in İpek Yolu Ekonomik Kuşağı projesi ve ABD’nin Yeni İpek Yolu projesidir. Bu makalede büyük güçlerin bölgesel bütünleşme yaklaşımları incelenmekte ve bu bütünleşme projelerinin OA’da sürdürülebilirliği ve bölge üzerindeki etkileri analiz edilmektedir. Makalede, büyük güçler tarafından ve onların çıkarlarını koruyacak şekilde geliştirildiğinden dolayı, bu projelerin bölgesel ve küresel oyuncuları bir araya getirip işbirliğine teşvik edici bir pratik çerçeve sunamayacağı sonucuna varılmaktadır. Bu bağlamda her büyük gücün bölgesel bütünleşme yaklaşımının bir birinden farklı olduğunun altı çizilmekte, öte yandan bölgeye yaklaşımlarında bölge ülkelerinin beklentilerinden ziyade kendi çıkarlarını ön plana almaları açısından benzerlik bulunduğu öne sürülmektedir. Ancak bu projeler başarıyla hayata geçirilse, OA devletlerinin siyasi bağımsızlığını gölgelemekle birlikte bölge ülkelerine sosyoekonomik yararlar sağlayabileceği göz ardı edilemez.

Keywords

Orta Asya, Bölgesel Bütünleşme, Avrasya Ekonomik Birliği, İpek Yolu Ekonomik Kuşağı, Yeni İpek Yolu

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