Globalisation and Eurasia

Ajay Patnaik & Tulsiram

Consisting of former Soviet Republics, the Eurasian region has drawn international attention due to its geopolitical significance and hydrocarbon resources, which has prompted the US and other external powers like China, Turkey, Iran, the European Union and India to actively engage themselves in the region. Russia is once again emerging as a central player in the region as it moves towards stabilizing its economy and political system. At the same time, given the pluralities within the region, there are multiple conflicts based on ethnic, religious and geopolitical discontents, making the region susceptible to rivalries and conflicts.

Eurasia is also a region where many external powers are seeking to intensify their geopolitical influence. This region, which lies in the extended neighbourhood of India, has had longstanding ties with the subcontinent in the past. The developments in the region have immense security implications for India. In view of India’s rapidly increasing energy requirements, the region could be an alternative source of energy.

This book discusses the strategic environment in Eurasia and issues related to security, stability and inter-state relations in Eurasia. The involvement of external powers and their relations with different Eurasian countries is an important theme of the book. Social and cultural dimensions of post-Socialist changes have been discussed in the context of a range of economic and political transformations. The proposition that links changing alignment of state with society in the context of globalisation has been scrutinised in this book.

Ajay Patnaik & Tulsiram Prof. Ajay Kumar Patnaik, former Chairperson of the Centre, is currently Director of the UGC Area Study Programme on Russia and Central Asia in School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. A Ph.D from School of International Studies, JNU, Prof. Patnaik was a Visiting Scholar in the faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Cambridge, UK, (1992-93), ICSSR Exchange Scholar at the Institute of Ethnography, Moscow (1999) and Visiting Solanki Professor and Scholar at Yadunandan Centre for Indian Studies, California State University, United States (2006). He is also the Executive Editor of the journal Contemporary Central Asia. Prof. Patnaik, the author of three books, has contributed many articles and research papers in referred journals such as Europe-Asia Studies, Frontiers of Sociology, Security and Society, Turkic Civilization Studies and Labyrinth. He has edited many books and presented numerous research papers in International Seminars and Conferences in India and abroad. He has delivered a number of lectures on Central Asia at National Defence College and Foreign Service Institute, Delhi.
Prof. Tulsiram was the former Chairperson of the Centre and a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Oriental Studies at Moscow and St. Petersburg. He is a prominent critic on Indian Literature and Buddhism. Prof. Tulsiram did his Masters in Political Science from Banaras Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh. He also has a Masters Degree in International Relations from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and holds a Ph.D degree in Soviet Studies from the same school. At present, Prof Tulsiram is working on Trans-Caucasia and Buddhism in Russia. Prof. Tulsiram has authored six books and has contributed many articles and research papers in edited books and referred journals. He has presented numerous research papers in International and National Seminars and Conferences in India.