The Eurasian Integration in the Context of Civilizational Self-Determination of Russia

Russia is currently in search of its place and its role in the world. In the conditions of intense relations with the Western states, a political discourse is experiencing the change of priorities in defining a direction of the country’s development. Therefore the European vector which served as an orientation point in the political elite in 1990s - the beginning of 2000s, is replaced by the Eurasian one. It is also caused by strengthening the economic and political influence of the Asian states on the international processes. The Eurasian integration project initiated by Russia, finds support among a number of the countries of the post-Soviet territory. The created Eurasian economic union becomes the significant subject of the international political process that gives confidence to Russia as far as its forces in building relations with the Western countries are concerned, as well as the search of self-identity. Russia aspires to become the bridge connecting the West and the East that can serve as its contribution to the creation of equal relations in the global world. The article attempts to highlight the trends of modern Russian civilization identification process within the political science discourse. This process is associated with inconsistent implementation of the political, legal, socio-economic and socio-cultural (ideological) projects of society and the state modernization. The author focuses on the fact that the center of the discussions in the socio-political discourse is increasingly shifting towards the search of Russian interests not within civilizational projects, but in the search for an independent path of development, which is most fully consistent with the historical destiny of Russia. The author substantiates positive and negative factors that contribute to the realization of the Eurasian project aimed at the integration of countries and peoples in the context of the implementation of democratic reforms and the national models of political modernization