Eurasian Integration Yearbook 2012

Customs Unionand the Single Economic SpaceThe North American ethnos is rather young and it is at the “acmatic”/developmentstage. This stage is characterised by aggressive wars abroad. Indeed, we witnessa change in the American ideological model. The country, which had beendeveloping its territory before and had taken part in the world wars of the 20 thcentury contrary to the will of its own nation, has engaged in one recklessmilitary undertaking after another since the 1950s. However it comes as nosurprise to admit that the North Americans are, according to our hypothesis,pervaded by the “imperial syndrome”.As for the Chinese superethnos it is traditionally viewed as a very old one, atthe stage of convolution. I cannot agree with this statement. In my opinion, it isin the very beginning of a new cycle. I also disagree that (in the way Gumilev’sfollowers traditionally state it) the Islamic superethnos, as a contemporary of theEurasian one, is at its climax stage.I believe that a new passionary impetus was given to China, India, Pakistan,Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the Near East in the 19 th century. The incubation phaseof new superethnoses is coming to its end or has probably ended already. Wewitness the birth of two new superethnoses, the “new Chinese” and “newIslamic” ones that are based on fundamentalism. The Arab spring was a vividconfirmation of this. We witness how the remnants of the old, “religiouslytolerant” Islamic ethnos, which gravitated towards Europe, gradually becomehistory with our own help.Since integration is a form of organisation of a superethnos, it becomes evidentwhy Russia and China, or Latin America and North America can integrate withinthemselves, but not with each other.Latin America received a passionate impetus in the 15 th century when theEuropeans began to investigate the continent and is now at the inertial stage.It is indeed ready for integration and its integration unions are quite viable.The US and Canada, which form a single superethnos, are de facto a viableintegration union. However, they will never integrate with Latin America.The post-Soviet space can and should integrate. Otherwise the Eurasiansuperethnos will be pulled apart piece by piece by its neighbours. If they donot integrate, many Eurasian nations will possibly cease to exist as a part ofthe Eurasian superethnos and will become parts of other superethnoses: theEuropean one in the west, the new Islamic one in Asia and, possibly, the newChinese one in the east.For this reason the significance of integration in the post-Soviet space goesbeyond geopolitical objectives and is closely connected to the future of theEurasian ethnos. Only true integration will make it possible for the Eurasianethnos to preserve its identity and geographical location when it is surroundedby young and energetic Islamic and Chinese superethnoses.52 EDB Eurasian Integration Yearbook 2012