Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
Abstract
theexisting,objectiveandsubjective,tiesbetweenthecountriesinquestion,
formedintheSovietera.Furthermore,theperceptionofthepost-Sovietstates
bythe“internationalcommunity”inmanycasesmakesthemunabletodiver-
sifyeffectivelytheirforeignpolicyand“flee”fromRussia.
Inordertoanalyzethetopicasthoroughlyaspossible,thedeterminantsof
integrationanddisintegrationprocessesinthepost-Sovietareadiscussedin
thisbookaredividedintotwocategories:objectiveandsubjective.Theformer
include:spatialdeterminants,economicfactors,militarycooperation,andde-
mography;thelatter-understandingofnationalinterestsandtheinterestsof
nationalelites,supra-nationalidentities,andmutualperceptionofthepost-So-
vietsocieties.
Amongthe“spatial”determinantsitistheinfrastructuralconnectionsamong
post-Sovietstatesthatdemonstrateapro-integrativepotential,whereasdisin-
tegrativepotentialrestsinstateborders.Intheeconomicsphere,tradepatterns
inheritedfromtheUSSRtendtointegratepost-Sovietstateswithoneanother
morestronglythanwiththeexternalenvironment-atleastinqualitativeterms.
However,economicdeterminantscanalsoplayadisintegrativerole,especially
ifasymmetryineconomicpotentialsandstructuralweaknessesofthecoun-
triesinquestion(abovealltheinter-branchcomplementarity)aretakeninto
account.
Asregardsmilitarydefenseissues,centripetaltendenciesaremaintainedby,
interalia,indivisibilityofsecurityinthepost-Sovietarea,similaritiesofmili-
tarystructures,andtightcooperationbetweenmilitaryindustriesinheritedfrom
theSovietUnion.Atthesametime,theambitiontomaximizemilitary-strategic
benefitsandtoadaptbettertoasymmetricalthreatsisreflectedbydiversifica-
tionofmilitarycooperationtoincludetheWest,ChinaandTurkey.
Speakingofdemographicfactors,internationalmigrationseemstoplay
apro-integrativerole,althoughitspotentialisoftenunderminedbythesloppy
policiesoftheauthoritiesandxenophobicmoodsofthepublic.Centrifugal
tendenciesresultfromtheinter-ethnictensionsconnectedwiththepresenceof
nationalandethnicminoritiesinalmosteverypost-Sovietstate.
Amongthesubjectivedeterminantsofintegrationordisintegration,thekey
significancemaybeattributedtoindividualandgroupinterestsofthepoliti-
calandeconomicelites.Ontheonehand,non-democraticregimesneedone
anotherinordertodefendthemselvesagainstdemocraticchanges,legitimize
theirpower,anddrawasmanybenefitsaspossiblefromshadowyinternational
economicties.Ontheotherhand,aneedforafull-fledgedfeelingofsover-
eigntymakesthemdriftawayfromtheformerimperialcenterandimpedesany
effectivetransferofpowertothesupra-nationallevel.
Intheirforeignpolicy,thepost-Sovietstatesquiteoftenappealtothenotion
ofnationalinterest,whichisvitallyimportantfortheiridentityontheinterna-
tionalarena.Atleastintwospheres,thenationalinterestsofRussiaandsome
ofitspartnersoverlap:thesearesecurityandeconomicstability.Conversely,
avitalneedtopreserveterritorialintegrity,thenecessitytoreaffirmnational
20
