What The Rise of Eurasia Means For Ukraine

If you studied in a Western elementary school, chances are you learned that Europe and Asia are separate continents. But if you studied in a Soviet (or post-Soviet) school, there was likely only Eurasia. Today, the notion of “Eurasia” is highly tainted in Ukraine due to its association with the Russian imperialist ideology of Eurasianism.

But geography teachers might be correct to regard the Europe and Asia as one continent, according to a new book by Bruno Maçães. The former Portuguese European Minister and a current Senior Advisor at Flint Global, Maçães believes that the distinction between Europe and Asia is slowly dissolving, which significant consequences for the global politics and economics.

With Western and European dominance in decline and many Europeans starting to take note of the threats emanating from Russia and China, recognizing this shift is more important than ever — and particularly for Ukraine, Maçães says.

“I think this is interesting and important for Ukraine because Ukraine is a country on the gates of Europe, as people say, and, I think in a world where people are truly reconciled, Ukraine no longer has to feel on the border, on the periphery, it can be at the center,” Maçães told Hromadske.

For Ukraine, the choice between East and West is clear. Since the 2014 Euromaidan revolution, which saw people take to the streets in favour of closer integration with the West, Ukraine has reaffirmed its European ambitions and sought to weaken its ties with Russia.

Looking towards the future, however, even Ukraine may have to rethink aspects of its alignment. For now, Russia and China appear to be allied against Western dominance, but Maçães believes that this could change.

“Countries like Kazakhstan and Georgia, they feel a certain danger coming from Russia and they use China to balance. And, eventually, I suspect that Ukraine will also find this an attractive idea. It's a way to block Russian power, to bring in Chinese investment, for example,” Maçães says.

Hromadske sat down with Bruno Maçães to discuss the growing importance of Eurasia, shifting power balances, and what this means for Europe’s borders.

/Interview by Tetyana Ogarkova

/Text by Sofia Fedeczko