Eurasian Union (Soviet Union 2.0?)

In 2011 the Prime Minster of Russia, Vladimir Putin, now president, proposed a Eurasian Union. This union would expand on the already established Customs Union between Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. The presidents of each nation in 2011 singed an agreement of forming a Eurasian Union, which would be fully operational in 2015. Russia wishes to have six former soviet states join the Eurasian Union, which include  Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. In 2013 Armenia declared they would join the Eurasian Union, while Ukraine wishes to join the European Union instead. Membership is not restricted to those six, it has been stated that they are willing to have any countries join that are cultural or historical close to Russia, like Finland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cuba and Venezuela.

The Eurasian Union would operate similar to the European Union in that borders between the countries that join would be no borders and a common currency. Russian is said to be the language of trade within the Eurasian Union. The union plans on making trading and cooperation between all members easy and beneficial for all involved. The union also includes a military alliance between the member nations. In 2006 a military alliance between Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan called the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was put into to effect. The Russian military is the most prominent in the military alliance, because it controls the most military bases of all the them. In 2009 the CSTO formed the Rapid Reaction Forces (KSOR), which is meant to act a permanent military force that is ready in a need of crisis. 

Many people have criticized Putin's idea of Eurasian Union. Many claim that this Putin's way of reviving the old Soviet Union. They use the fact that Putin once called the collapse of the Soviet Union "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century" and that Putin is a former KGB agent for the Soviet Union. United States had also criticized Putin's Eurasian Union. In 2012 the US Sectary of State, Hillary Clinton, stated that the Russia's proposal is just a new USSR, and that they will try to find ways to slow it down. Putin has stated that he has no desires to rebuild the Soviet Union and that it will be a bond of today's economic and political values. There are many names being given to the Eurasian Union to describe it, many of which point toward USSR style of running things. The best one I have herd to describe it, is it will be like the USSR without the communism. 

More on the Eurasian Union

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Union
http://www.euractiv.com/europes-east/moscow-fleshes-eurasian-union-pl-news-509042
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/11/17/idINIndia-60590820111117
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kambiz-behi/russias-growing-economic-influence_b_1696304.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/04/vladimir-putin-eurasian-union_n_993772.html
http://rt.com/news/eurasian-union-eu-better-667/
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/11/17/idINIndia-60590820111117
http://armenianow.com/commentary/analysis/41807/usa_against_ussr_clinton_armenia_relations_russia
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/06/russias-eurasian-union-could-endanger-the-neighborhood-and-us-interests