New Waves of Geopolitical Strategy and the Use of Soft Power in Eurasia David A. Jones Some new trends can be observed in the geopolitical strategies of various countries or trading groups in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), especially in Eurasia. They range from modification of China’s decade-long “Belt and Road” Initiative and Eurasian Union of the Russian Federation to a more recent Japanese Free and Open Indo-Pacific geopolitical programme coupled with a theoretical US policy of withdrawal from Afghanistan that is yet to be implemented. Each competes to become the more effective. Across Eurasia, competitor countries have developed soft power tools, both traditional and novel, to build new relationship systems across the supercontinent of Eurasia. Of those, which ones – if any – will endure and meet the test of time? This study addresses these issues individually and jointly, drawing on forecasts advanced over the first two decades of the 21st century, postpandemic assessments, and a triangulation of information available currently. Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) codes: E5, E6, E7, H3 Keywords: Asia, BRI, C5, China, Eurasia, G7, macroeconomy, India, Russia, Trans-Siberia
David A. Jones is University of Warsaw Professor dr. hab. of Foreign Economic Policy, International Law, International Management, and International Relations, a position he has held since 2005 at its Institute of the Americas and Europe and Faculty of Management. Email: david.jones@uw.edu.pl
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