Abstract

The Eurasian super continent, the world’s largest contiguous landmass, has been under the world focus as a dynamic economic region in contemporary era. However Eurasian space is least integrated economically while remains fragmented politically. Eurasian continent is divided into three significant regions i.e. Heartland, Island and Rimland by various strategists/geographers. The Heartland consists of Central Russia and Central Asia, Island consists of West Asia while the Rimland comprises of coastal areas from Europe, West Asia, South Asia to South China Sea. The three regions of Eurasia are significant in terms of resource base and geographical location.

The paper attempts to answer the main research question i.e. how the Eurasian integration can be a decisive factor in furthering global economic growth and development? This research work argues that integrating and linking the three regions of Eurasia through cross border hard and soft infrastructure complements connectivity of the entire global markets. Integrating Eurasia means linking trans-continental trade and logistic corridors (Heartland/Island) with trans-oceanic trade and logistic corridors (Rimland).

The approach in this work is explanatory and exploratory, employing qualitative research methodology based on hermeneutics and double hermeneutics research methods. Hermeneutics refer to interpretation and giving meaning to human actions and texts. In social sciences, a phenomenon is usually reinterpreted (double hermeneutics) from multiple perspectives within its own dynamic and ever evolving context. This process involves understanding of various, multiple components of a phenomenon to explain the whole i.e. its broader context. The work attempts to explain the ongoing multiple however complementary processes for Eurasian integration to understand its importance and role in promoting global economic development. Data sources include relevant books, scholarly articles published in peer review journals, published institutional papers and authentic official reports available online regarding the subject matter.

Major Eurasian and European powers, regional countries, organizations and global financial institutions have developed plans to integrate the Eurasian space. These integration plans address important issue regarding the cross border infrastructural investment and promote trans-regional cooperation across Eurasia. As a result trans-continental Eurasian transport and logistics corridors have been developing in east-west direction. A parallel development is to link the trans-continental trade and logistic corridors with the trans-oceanic corridors in a north-south direction. Developed cross border infrastructure will enhance individual countries’ GDP by 2% to 5% across Asia and Eurasia’s share in global GDP by more than 5%.