The Idea of Union Integration in the Republic of Belarus: Dynamics of Public and State Priorities

Abstract

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, many new states arose on the territory of the once-great power. Even then, it was apparent — the trend towards globalisation is a worldwide objective process. All over the world, integration associations of countries united by geographic, historical, cultural and other characteristics were taking shape and strengthening. Belarus is a country that, without exaggeration, has the most substantial integration ties with Russia. It is due not only to participation in projects such as the CIS, CSTO, EAEU and the Union State but also to historical solid, linguistic and cultural ties between the two fraternal countries. In the world-famous treatise “The Clash of Civilisations” published in 1996, Huntington characterised Belarus as a pro-Russian state. The population identifies itself with Russia as strongly as with its republic. A quarter of a century later, it may seem that this state of affairs is an axiom. However, some experts argue that the idea of union integration in the Republic of Belarus and public priorities has undergone significant changes caused by a combination of factors. The article examines the retrospective, conjuncture and perspective of the idea of Russian-Belarusian integration, the dynamics of public and state priorities, identify potential problem areas and provides recommendations for their elimination.