EURASIA - THE MAGICAL STORY OF 1000 YRS | 21ST CENTURY BECKONS

Global Affairs Session 35 13 May 2026

THE EURASIA STORY

The world's largest landmass and its emerging multipolar order

Eurasia — the single landmass spanning Europe and Asia — contains most of the world's major civilizational zones, energy reserves, nuclear powers and historical empires. From the Mongol Empire to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the landmass has repeatedly reshaped world order, and today it is scarred by flashpoints stretching from Ukraine to the Red Sea. As China's Belt and Road Initiative competes with India's multi-aligned connectivity strategy, and America works to prevent any single power from dominating the landmass, Eurasia is set to become the main arena of twenty-first-century geopolitics.

Overview What is Eurasia Eurasian history Flashpoints India and China America's interest Future of Eurasia

Overview

Eurasia, as geographers define it, is the single continuous landmass combining Europe and Asia — the foundation on which every theme in this session is built.

What is Eurasia

Eurasia is the single landmass made up of Europe and Asia; the Europe–Asia division is historical and cultural more than geological. It contains most of the world's major civilizational zones.

• Eurasia is the single landmass made up of Europe and Asia; the Europe–Asia division is historical and cultural more than geological.
• It stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east, and from the Arctic to the Indian Ocean/Mediterranean region.
• Contains most of the world's major civilizational zones: Europe, Russia, Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.
• Geopolitically speaking, "Eurasia" often means the strategic land-and-sea space linking Europe, Russia, China, India, West Asia, Central Asia, and key maritime chokepoints.
• Important because of its concentration of population, energy, industry, trade routes, military powers, nuclear states, and historical empires.

Eurasian history

Dramatic changes and new empires dot the historical landscape of Eurasia, over the past 1000 years.

• Rise of the Mongol Empire, 13th century: Founded by Genghis Khan in 1206, it became the largest contiguous land empire in history, linking China, Central Asia, Russia, Persia, and parts of Europe.
• The Black Death, 1347–1351: The plague devastated Europe and spread through Eurasian trade and military routes, killing tens of millions and reshaping labour, economy, religion, and politics.
• The Industrial Revolution, beginning in 18th-century Britain: It transformed Eurasian and global power by shifting economies from agriculture and handicraft production to machines, factories, modern transport, and industrial warfare.
• World Wars I and II, 1914–1945: These wars shattered empires, redrew borders, accelerated decolonization, and made Europe, Russia, China, Japan, and West Asia central theatres of global conflict; World War II was the deadliest war in history.
• Collapse of the Soviet Union, 1991: The USSR dissolved into 15 independent states, ending the Cold War order and creating today's post-Soviet flashpoints in Ukraine, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Russia's borderlands.

Flashpoints

Eurasia has witnessed multiple flashpoints through its history. Today is no different, as wars litter the landscape from west to east.

• Russia–Ukraine war: The war remains Eurasia's central land conflict, with continuing Russian attacks, Ukrainian resistance, sanctions, military aid, and contested peace efforts as of May 2026.
• Taiwan, South China Sea, and East China Sea: China's pressure on Taiwan and maritime assertiveness around the Philippines, Japan, and disputed island chains make East Asia one of the highest-risk theatres.
• Middle East and Strait of Hormuz: Iran-related conflict and Hormuz disruption remain critical because Gulf energy flows, shipping routes, and U.S.–Israel–Iran tensions affect the whole Eurasian economy.
• Red Sea–Bab el-Mandeb: Houthi threats and earlier attacks on shipping keep the Red Sea route vulnerable, affecting Europe–Asia trade and energy transport.
• South Caucasus: Armenia–Azerbaijan normalization is moving, but the Zangezur/TRIPP connectivity question remains sensitive because it touches Armenia's sovereignty, Azerbaijan–Turkey links, Russia, Iran, and Western influence.

India and China

The two giant nations will play a big role in determining the destiny of the landmass in the 21st century.

• China is the stronger continental infrastructure player, through the Belt and Road Initiative, ports, railways, pipelines, digital networks, and political influence across Central Asia, Pakistan, West Asia, Europe, and Russia-linked spaces.
• India's Eurasian strategy is selective and multi-aligned: it works with Russia, Iran, the Gulf, Europe, the U.S., Japan, ASEAN, and Central Asia without formally joining any single bloc.
• Connectivity is the key competition: China has BRI and CPEC; India pushes alternatives such as the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor and the International North–South Transport Corridor to access Europe, Russia, Iran, Central Asia, and the Gulf.
• India and China cooperate and compete inside Eurasian institutions, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation; India and China held SCO consultations in New Delhi in April 2026.
• Their rivalry is also border-based and maritime: the Himalayas, Indian Ocean, South China Sea, Pakistan, technology supply chains, and energy security all shape India–China competition across Eurasia.

America's interest in Eurasia

America wants no single power to dominate the Eurasian landmass.

• The U.S. does not want one power to dominate Eurasia, because a Eurasian hegemon could combine Europe's industry, Russia's resources, China's manufacturing, and Asian maritime access.
• Europe remains vital through NATO: Russia is treated by NATO as the most direct threat to Euro-Atlantic security, especially after the Ukraine war.
• The Indo-Pacific is central to U.S. strategy: the 2026 U.S. National Defense Strategy emphasizes deterring China, and notes the Indo-Pacific's rising share of the global economy.
• The U.S. wants to protect chokepoints and trade routes such as Hormuz, the Red Sea, the South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait because disruptions affect energy, semiconductors, shipping, and inflation.
• America is increasingly linking Atlantic and Pacific strategy: Russia–China cooperation, Iran, North Korea, cyber threats, drones, sanctions, and supply chains are no longer separate regional issues but connected Eurasian challenges.

Future of Eurasia

Multipolarity awaits Eurasia now.

• Eurasia is likely to become more multipolar, with China, India, Russia, the EU, Turkey, Iran, Gulf states, Japan, South Korea, and Central Asian states all seeking strategic room.
• Connectivity will be a major battlefield: BRI, IMEC, INSTC, Middle Corridor, Arctic routes, ports, railways, pipelines, and digital cables will shape trade power as much as armies.
• Wars may become more hybrid: drones, cyberattacks, sanctions, proxy militias, maritime harassment, disinformation, space assets, and economic coercion will coexist with conventional war.
• India's role will grow: its population, market, military capacity, technology sector, and location between the Indian Ocean, Gulf, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia make it a key balancing power.
• The biggest risk is simultaneous crisis: Ukraine, Taiwan, Korea, Hormuz, the Red Sea, and the Caucasus could interact through energy prices, arms flows, alliances, and great-power bargaining, making Eurasia the main arena of 21st-century geopolitics.

Value addition

Glossary and related terms

Eurasia

The combined landmass of Europe and Asia, treated as a single continental and strategic space rather than two separate continents.

Eurasian hegemon

A single power dominant enough over the Eurasian landmass to combine its industrial, resource, manufacturing and maritime strengths — an outcome outside powers traditionally work to prevent.

Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

China's global infrastructure and connectivity programme, financing ports, railways, pipelines and digital networks across Asia, Africa, Europe and beyond.

China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

A flagship BRI corridor of roads, energy and port projects linking western China to Pakistan's Gwadar port.

India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)

A proposed multimodal transport corridor linking India to Europe via the Gulf, Israel and the Mediterranean.

International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC)

A multimodal route linking India to Russia and Europe via Iran and the Caspian region, positioned as an alternative to Suez-route shipping.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

A Eurasian political, security and economic grouping whose members include China, India, Russia, Pakistan and Central Asian states.

Strategic chokepoint

A narrow maritime or land route whose disruption can affect global trade and energy flows far beyond its immediate geography.

Strait of Hormuz

A narrow passage linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and a critical route for global energy shipping.

Multipolarity

A global or regional order in which power is distributed among several major states rather than concentrated in one or two.

Hybrid warfare

Conflict that combines conventional military force with cyberattacks, disinformation, proxy militias, sanctions and other non-military pressure.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, a military alliance of North American and European states built around collective defence.

Zangezur Corridor / TRIPP

A proposed transit route through southern Armenia that would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave and Turkey, a sensitive question in South Caucasus connectivity.

Decolonization

The historical process by which colonies gained independence from imperial powers, reshaping borders and political systems across Eurasia and beyond.

Value addition

Conceptual references

• Historical scholarship on Eurasian land empires, from the Mongol conquests to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
• Heartland theory and classical geopolitical writing on why control of the Eurasian landmass has been treated as central to world power.
• The Belt and Road Initiative alongside competing connectivity corridors such as IMEC, INSTC and the Middle Corridor.
• Analysis of contemporary Eurasian flashpoints: Ukraine, the Taiwan Strait, the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, and the South Caucasus.
• U.S. Indo-Pacific and NATO strategy documents addressing the Eurasian balance of power.