Eurasian Supranationalism: From Academic Discourse to the Eurasian Economic Union

Abstract

The profound institutionalisation of the European Union through supranationalism ensured universal standing for the Euro-centric interpretation of this concept in comparative legal and political studies. This Chapter, in opposition, validates the regional interpretation of supranationalism in post-Soviet Eurasian space and its variation both in academic discourse and regional legal practices. The Chapter primarily scrutinises the legal-historical deconstruction of the concept of supranationalism in the post-Soviet Eurasian region within three academic communities: Eurasianist, Soviet, and Post-Soviet. The Chapter’s interpretation of the concept of supranationalism is conducted through a re-evaluation of regional attitudes towards the concepts of sovereignty and typology of States and their function in shaping the Eurasian vision of supranationalism. When necessary, the conceptual framework is also widened to subsume the observation of other relevant phenomena, considering the specificity of each academic community conditioned upon time and ideological affiliation. Ultimately, Russian-Eurasian academic discourse on supranationalism is projected over the institutional law of the Eurasian Economic Union to ascertain the interrelation between academic percipience and regional law. Central prominence is shifted towards the institutional decision-making mechanism of the Eurasian Union and the role of the EAEU Court in shaping the concept of supranationalism. The Chapter concludes that regional attitudes have constructed an authoritarian, illiberal type of supranationalism typical of emerging Post-Soviet Eurasian regional international law.