The Eurasian understanding of security reflects the approach of the global majority countries to the reset of international relations without a global military conflict. However, the Eurasian concept will undoubtedly continue to compete with the Euro-Atlantic project, which does not exclude the possible linkage and coexistence of the two architectures of security and development in the future, Vitaly Stakhovsky, Deputy Director of the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research, writes.
The concept of Eurasian security is one of the key elements of a just world order, is close to the Republic of Belarus, and is taken into account in the substantiation of country-specific foreign policy initiatives; it is embedded in the work of integration associations with national participation.
Belarus is deeply involved in the formation of security system concepts in Eurasia and, through national initiatives, strives to actively fill the Eurasian space with new multilateral formats, strategic documents, and meanings.
An innovative national contribution to the formation and strengthening of the Eurasian security architecture is the establishment in 2023 of the format of the annual Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security, as well as the development of the Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century implemented together with the Russian Federation. The document is intended, as noted by the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, “to expedite the processes of political, economic, and other consolidation in order to ensure security, strategic stability, and progressive development.”
The main essence of the promoted idea of diversity is non-colonial thinking, equality of small and medium-sized countries with major players. In the context of the new technological order, their role has increased significantly. At the same time, the Belarusian approach is based on the peace and good neighborliness principle.
In 2024, the Head of the Belarusian state proposed a number of primary measures to de-escalate global tension and create working mechanisms for ensuring global security. These include the elimination of the practice of imposing sanctions without a decision of the UN Security Council, along with the creation of a mechanism of international legal guarantees that prevent the use of such a method of pressure; development of a new contractual-legal mechanism for creating a transparent control regime over new lethal technologies (lasers, hypersonic, quantum and electromagnetic systems, and other frontier developments); adoption of an international legal act on cyber non-aggression.
With the aim of forming a secure space in Eurasia, Belarus has for decades demonstrated a responsible approach to participation in integration associations that represent the foundation of Eurasian security – the Union State, CIS, CSTO.
The presence and participation of the Belarusian side in the work of the SCO and BRICS is expanding. In line with the pan-Eurasian approach, Minsk is promoting the idea voiced in 2024 by the President of the Republic of Belarus about organizing a meeting of senior officials of regional organizations – ASEAN, CSTO, SCO, CIS, CICA, Gulf Cooperation Council.
The Belarus-Russia cooperation is a priority driver of security development in Eurasia. Important documents for Eurasian partnership have become the Union State Security Concept and the Belarus-Russia Treaty on Security Guarantees within the Union State, which are based on the unique integration experience of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. Minsk and Moscow have formed a joint vision of the Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century.
From an expert point of view, Eurasian security is a large-scale dimension of international relations, possessing broad potential for development and capable of encompassing many initiatives and meanings.
A number of potential trends can be identified, which in the future will contribute to a fuller realization of the possibilities of the Eurasian agenda and its advantages:
1. Peace as normality. The Eurasian understanding of security reflects the approach of the global majority countries to the reset of international relations without a global military conflict. Given the modern world's habituation to the "normality" of smoldering points of regional tension, such a conflict may no longer lead to a reset of international relations, as it happened before. In such a scenario, states may sink into permanent chaos for decades, preventing each other from rising economically or morally.
2. Eurasia without borders. The breadth and blurriness of Eurasia’s borders, traditionally considered vulnerabilities of the region, have today become its main wealth and advantage. Due to the extensiveness of geographical interpretations of the scale of Eurasia, it is possible to assert that the Eurasian agenda, even without being clearly articulated, in itself exerts serious influence on international relations.
3. Development in diversity. Eurasian diversity is also applicable to the security sector, given that the strength of our continent is the diversity of traditions, cultures, political systems, as well as the experience of building balanced relations. Countries that share the Eurasian spirit of respectful dialogue are becoming partners in sharing best practices on approaches to national security.
4. Responsible choice. The Eurasian view of security presupposes freedom of choice: whether states want a rigid security architecture in the Eurasian space with many institutions or prefer more flexible formats. As the success of the BRICS group shows, today there is a demand for a dynamic format of like–minded states moving in the same direction without excessive structural and institutional add-ons. There is a return to the codes of unwritten principles and canons of behavior, responsibility of a different level of quality.
5. The unifying agenda. The Belarusian-Russian proposal for Eurasian security – the Charter of Multipolarity and Diversity in the 21st Century – has become even more relevant and in demand. It must be remembered that in the system of universal values, security is only one of the links. National dignity and sovereignty, mutual respect and equal opportunities – terms familiar to us – should once again become meaningful, and not just figures of speech. The true value of these concepts lies in the fact that they underlie all military conflicts, but they are also capable of bringing peace.
6. Protecting human interests. The "soft power" of Eurasian security is based on a variety of ways to realize human potential. It is based on a person, his security and well–being at all levels. Therefore, we have a big task ahead of us – to fight for the minds of citizens. Nation-states should become centers of attraction for those who live abroad for various reasons. We need to make our inner capabilities more attractive to them than deceptive external images.
7. Relying on own capabilities. Eurasia’s potential is sufficient to resolve any global problems. The Eurasian continent is the largest on the planet. The majority of the world's population lives here, and the planet's strategic resources are concentrated. In this regard, peace on the Eurasian continent is the cornerstone of global security and a condition for the survival of humanity.
8. Dialogue. The specifics of the functioning of the Union State, the EAEU, the SCO and the BRICS push us to believe that Eurasian security will include many dimensions related to development issues (economics, technology, logistics, food). At the same time, it should not be expected that this agenda will be excessively soft, given that that Eurasia has states with significant military and technical potential, and there are unresolved contradictions in the region.
9. Synergy of potentials. For Belarus, the Eurasian logic is a harmonious superstructure over traditional integration projects, which can strengthen their positioning and deepen relations with allies. The successful experience and creative energy of Belarusian bilateral partnerships with such centers of power as Russia and China clearly demonstrate how constructive interaction between states with asymmetric resource potential can be built. Within the framework of Union construction, integration capabilities of the EAEU and CIS, coordinated strategies are being implemented and multilateral institutions are developing.
10. New thinking. The logic of Eurasia’s development is important in resolving stagnant problems. We have felt that the Eurasian view on traditional spheres of interaction, including security, can bring additional efficiency to these areas.
Thus, Belarus is ready to work with like-minded countries on any topics and directions, including food and energy security, the creation of systems of financial settlements independent of external influence, and building a new regional logistics architecture. We have a lot to offer and a lot to learn from others.
The Eurasian concept will undoubtedly continue to compete with the Euro-Atlantic project, which does not exclude the possible linkage and coexistence of the two architectures of security and development in the future.
Such a perspective highly likely forms the necessity to establish the strategic universal values of the Eurasian space, which in the long term could form the basis of a non-confrontational and pragmatic dialogue between East and West, South and North.
The practical implementation of this goal on the Eurasian continent may include the following steps:
- recognition of the leading role of Eurasia in the formation of the global security system and public standards;
- reliance on the diversity of existing integration projects as stabilizing platforms of Eurasia;
- priority of objective multilateral decisions on a relevant block of global problems (migration, hunger, climate, healthcare);
- balanced and adaptive social support contributing to citizens’ involvement in state development;
- interfacing national models to build a common Eurasian space.
Source: VALDAI