Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book gives an overview of the main developments on the political landscape of Eurasia after the end of the Cold War, thus, providing the context for further discussion of leadership initiatives of major powers in the region. It delves into the nature of leadership and in particular elaborates on three main paradoxes of leadership. The book shows that even though Russia’s engagement with the region looked more like ‘soft dominance’ than leadership, Moscow still had a chance to become a true leader, as economic, military, infrastructural and cultural preconditions for that were in place just ten years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It continues the investigation into specific leadership models and strategies, focusing on China as potential leader in Eurasia.