Political Network as an Infrastructure of Integration: The EAEU Between Formal Institutions and Informal Influence

The article explores the role of political networks in the functioning of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) through the conceptual lens of network as infrastructure. The author puts forward the hypothesis that informal interactions between political actors act as infrastructural compensatory mechanisms in the context of institutional vulnerability and fragmentation. The theoretical framework draws upon Actor-Network Theory, Manuel Castells’ network society concept, and infrastructure sociology (S.L. Star). Particular attention is paid to the case of China-Kazakhstan relations, which demonstrates how an external informal network can reshape the internal structure of a regional organization. The article presents a conceptual analysis of actors, levels of network interaction (formal and informal), types of ties, and coordination architecture within the EAEU. It concludes that the network does not merely complement institutions but rather functions as an alternative governance infrastructure in a weakly institutionalized integration setting. The work contributes to a theoretical and analytical understanding of post-Soviet integration in Eurasia and provides a foundation for further empirical research.