Playing Russia Wisely? The Institutional Leverage of Smaller States in the EAEU

Abstract

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is a regional association comprised of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. The EAEU is a highly asymmetrical entity with a single dominant power. It is also one of the most deeply integrated and densely institutionalised regional associations. This article demonstrates that although the dominant power retains the ability to disregard constraints imposed on it, smaller partners can exert more leverage in this context than most observers realise. The analysis of the dense institutional framework within the EAEU demonstrates how smaller states can exercise leverage in their asymmetrical relations with Russia and how binding commitments, voice opportunities and multilateralisation can trump material inferiority.