An Inevitable Choice: Accession of Kyrgyzstan to the Eurasian Economic Union

Abstract

This thesis investigates the relationship of factors that led Kyrgyzstan to join the Eurasian Economic Union. In this regard, the research analyzes Kyrgyzstan’s foreign policy behavior through the prism of small states theory. The thesis looks deeper into the economic profile of the country that explains the motives of the Kyrgyz government to seek the EEU membership. Through the case of Kyrgyzstan’s accession to the EEU, the thesis will examine the impact of domestic factors as well as external ones on a country’s foreign policy decision. In so doing, this work aims to contribute to understanding of key motives and reasons of small states to enter into post-Soviet regional organizations.