Three momentous developments -- the rise of China, collapse of the USSR, and enlargement of the EU – accelerated the economic interdependence of Eurasia at the turn of the twenty-first century, according to Kent Calder (Super Continent: The Logic of Eurasian Integration, Stanford University Press, 2019). COVID-19 is now the fourth earthquake to jolt the world’s largest land mass. The pandemic created an unprecedented global economic shock as borders closed, supply chains fragmented, and protectionist barriers rose. The long-term impacts are uncertain. However, business as usual is unlikely to mark the new normal. Against this backdrop, a panel of scholars from China, Germany, Kazakhstan, and the US will explore the impact of COVID-19 on transcontinental connectivity from the perspective of key countries and regions in the Belt and Road Initiative: Germany, Hungary, Greece, Belarus, Russia and Central Asia. Will the pandemic curtail European-Eurasian integration and Chinese influence? Or will it represent a critical juncture that relaxes political constraints and hastens economic interdependence?
Sponsorship
Cosponsored by the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and the Edwin O. Reischauer Center, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Accessibility
The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact us at 617-495-4037 or daviscenter@fas.harvard.edu in advance of your participation or visit.
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