Summary Box: Putin dreams of Eurasian Union (AP)

SOVIET UNION-LITE: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has a vision for a Moscow-led Eurasian global powerhouse united by trade, not ideology.

FREE EXCHANGE: Russia moved one step toward the goal under an agreement with former Soviet republics Belarus and Kazakhstan that as of Sunday allows the free movement of goods and capital across their common borders.

APPEALING CONCEPT: The concept of regional economic integration may be losing some of its allure in Europe, where a debt crisis is threatening the existence of the eurozone. But some countries across the former Soviet Union, still struggling economically 20 years after becoming independent, are embracing Putin's ambition.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120103/ap_on_bi_ge/as_russia_putin_s_new_union_summary_box

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