| Abstract: | This article examines the concept of Eurasianism in relation to Russia's East Asian policy from Yeltsin to Putin. It argues that there are three main interpretations of Russia's Eurasianist identity in the foreign policy discourse regarding East Asia: Pragmatic Eurasianism, Neo-Eurasianism, and Intercivilisational Eurasianism. Each interpretation emphasises a different aspect of Eurasianism with different policy implications. However, they all share an instrumentalist nature, of being used to justify Russia's Great Power status and a greater role for it in East Asia. Moreover, it is the pragmatic and geoeconomic aspects of Russia's Eurasianist identity that are being stressed most by the Putin administration, especially on energy and transport links. |
