Eurasianism

Paolo Pizzolo is research fellow in international relations at the University LUISS Guido Carlo of Rome.

Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Russia's efforts to define itself as well as to reknit the Soviet space has generated political and scholarly attention in the West as well as in Russia. At the center of interest is "Eurasianism," which serves to define Russia as both European and Asian and as a scaffold for various projects to integrate former Soviet republics. Defining "Eurasianism" as an ideology, Pizzolo (LUISS Guido Carlo Univ., Italy) addresses the concept in the context of geopolitical theories, notably those of Halford Mackinder and Nicholas J. Spykman. This covers familiar ground, but his narrative on Aleksandr Dugin's "neo-Eurasianism" is a useful study of the more controversial aspects of "Eurasianism." Among other things, Pizzolo discusses Dugin's "Fourth Political Theory," a peculiar melding of liberalism, fascism, and Marxism that is intended to replace Western Atlanticism as a dominant world order. The international system, Dugin argues, is becoming multipolar. Pizzolo also addresses Dugin's much-criticized advocacy of Russian imperialism. Pizzolo's study is well documented with a bibliography rich in Russian sources. The book is strongly recommended for all university readers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.

• Chapter 1: Ideology as a methodological tool for interpreting EurasianismChapter 2: From early Eurasianism to neo-Eurasianism. A historical and philosophical overlookChapter 3: The liaison between geopolitics and EurasianismChapter 4: The foundations of Eurasian power. The strategic role of the Heartland region in geopolitical thoughtChapter 5: The Eurasianist ideology. Theory, mission, and programChapter 6: The antagonists of Eurasianism. Post-liberalism, Atlanticism, and unipolar globalismChapter 7: The Eurasianist vision of global order. The quest for a multipolar world