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Author : A. Lukin
Vice Rector, Diplomatic Academy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Doctor of
Science (History)
The idea of restoring the Great Silk Road or, more precisely, of
using this appealing name for political purposes is not new. The
name itself was coined in 1877 by Ferdinand von Richthofen, a
German geographer and traveler. He used the terms "Silk
Road(s)" or "Silk Route(s)" to describe the network of ancient
overland trade routes from China to Europe through Central Asia.
It is interesting to note that in a multi-volume work on his travels
across China, Richthofen also gave a precise geographical defini-
tion of Central Asia (although the term itself already existed).
IN RUSSIA, the Silk Road concept is viewed with interest and
without objection, but is not put forward as the official one. Russia
prefers to use the term "Eurasian integration" and would like to
maintain its traditional influence in Central Asia through equal co-
operation and voluntary restoration of political and economic ties on a mutually beneficial basis,
for which there is good ground.
After the 2008 events in Georgia and the 2014 events in Ukraine, Russia is seen in the region as
a real center of geopolitical power capable of taking strong measures to protect its interests, in-
cluding beyond its borders.
But even in most such countries, parts of the establishment and significant segments of the
population nevertheless wanted to continue close relations with Russia and among themselves.
A separate element in the activities of the EU and West European states in the region is an effort
to promote the development of civil society and democracy. Although much in these programs
is not in line with local traditions, they are more of an ideological nature, that is, are based on
Western notions of an ideal society and ways of building it, but are not a cover (as in the case
of the United States) for geopolitical purposes.
THE APPROACH of Central Asian states to different projects concerning their own future is
very pragmatic. Of course, it varies from country to country, but on the whole one can say that
the Central Asian states are prepared to support the project of any party provided it includes fi-
nancial assistance and investments and does not undermine their political system or security.
There are two big obstacles to the implementation of the Silk Road Economic Belt program.
First, there is the question of security within China, primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Au-
tonomous Region, where the situation has been worsening in recent years. And second, there is
the contradiction between China's desire for active cooperation with its neighbors and an evident
tendency to take a tougher stand on territorial disputes with some of them, which raises serious
concerns in neighboring states. If Beijing continues to promote the idea of an economic belt, it
will have to give serious thought to reviewing its approaches to these two problems.
The Idea of a "Silk Road Economic Belt" and Eurasian
Integration