ABSTRACT
Chapter 6 analyzes the third school of Russian realism that has prioritized the importance of preserving the country's place as a major Eurasian power. Influenced by traditional geopolitical theories of Eurasia's “heartland” and self-sufficiency the regionally minded group of realists proceeded from a centuries-long historical perspective on Russia's interests. More than the two other schools Eurasian Regionalists are impressed by Muscovy's relative isolation from European developments and its experience of state-building and gradual expansion into Asia and Siberia. Although this focus on Muscovy has been less popular in Russia's political circles than the perspectives of Global Balancers and realist Westernizers, the uncertainty of the contemporary transition to a new international order has improved chances of Regionalism to increase its political influence. The chapter describes the experience of Russia as a Eurasian power and reviews arguments for reviving such status following the Soviet disintegration. In particular, I assess the position of those viewing Eurasia as a temporal refuge for Russia to rebuild its global capacity (tactical Regionalists) and those arguing for the nation's strategic regional orientation as the only acceptable policy in both mid-and long-term perspective. I analyze views of Vadim Tsymbursky as the leading strategic Eurasian regionalist.
