🇷🇺🌍 African countries and those in the global South have also come under greater diplomatic pressure from their European and US counterparts.
It is something that became a subject of discussion during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent visit to South Africa, where Minister of International Relations Dr. Naledi Pandor expressed South Africa’s reservations regarding a US law that seeks to punish countries seen as having close relations with Russia.
In a changing geopolitical environment, African countries and those of the global South seeking to maintain cooperation with Russia will thus need to factor in these dynamics, which have been introduced to undermine relations in a similar manner that China’s engagement with Africa and the global South has been viewed with scepticism by counterparts in the West.
In order to achieve their development goals, African countries will largely seek to not get drawn into taking positions that may backfire against their strategic interests. They will thus seek to work with all external actors wanting to forge ties with the continent, and Russia and its African partners will need to build on their comparative advantages.
As an agricultural power, Russia could identify opportunities to boost Africa’s own production and enhance its food security. This would position Russia as a strategic partner in the pursuit of Africa’s green revolution and efforts to build a greater degree of resilience on the continent, writes Philani Mthembu, Executive Director at the Institute for Global Dialogue, South Africa, for the 19th Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/russia-africa-and-the-global-south-enhancing/
#VALDAI2022 #Africa #GlobalSouth
@valdai_club
It is something that became a subject of discussion during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent visit to South Africa, where Minister of International Relations Dr. Naledi Pandor expressed South Africa’s reservations regarding a US law that seeks to punish countries seen as having close relations with Russia.
In a changing geopolitical environment, African countries and those of the global South seeking to maintain cooperation with Russia will thus need to factor in these dynamics, which have been introduced to undermine relations in a similar manner that China’s engagement with Africa and the global South has been viewed with scepticism by counterparts in the West.
In order to achieve their development goals, African countries will largely seek to not get drawn into taking positions that may backfire against their strategic interests. They will thus seek to work with all external actors wanting to forge ties with the continent, and Russia and its African partners will need to build on their comparative advantages.
As an agricultural power, Russia could identify opportunities to boost Africa’s own production and enhance its food security. This would position Russia as a strategic partner in the pursuit of Africa’s green revolution and efforts to build a greater degree of resilience on the continent, writes Philani Mthembu, Executive Director at the Institute for Global Dialogue, South Africa, for the 19th Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/russia-africa-and-the-global-south-enhancing/
#VALDAI2022 #Africa #GlobalSouth
@valdai_club
Valdai Club
Russia, Africa, and the Global South: Enhancing Cooperation Amid Changing Geopolitical Dynamics
Besides not having a comparable presence such as key European countries and the US since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia continues to be valued as a partner in many African countries. These countries are often not in a position to choose their external…
🌐 Recently the United Nations commemorated its 77th anniversary. The International Monetary Fund will be 77 years old in December, when the World Bank turns 76 years old.
These three institutions of world governance were established after a significant extermination of human life, the destruction of massive amounts of fixed capital, and social infrastructure.
While we are all, as a species-being, confronted by this crisis of existence and challenges of survival, it is the ‘geriatric’ institutions of global governance established in the second half of the 20th century that have governed us into this iniquitous situation.
If our current negative conditions are the outcomes of these institutions and their agencies, then we should and must reimagine a system of rules and governance structures that are actually capable of delivering the world that we want, need, and demand.
We should creatively destroy that which is ill-suited to our real requirements, and which persistently reproduces the hegemony of an absolute minority of people through advancing the narrow interests of a dominant fraction of capital in one country out of the multitude that constitute the world systems and the UN, writes Rasigan Maharajh, Director of the Institute for Economic Research on Innovation at the Tshwane University of Technology (South Africa) for the 19th Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/we-should-creatively-destroy-that-which-is-ill-sui/
#VALDAI2022
@valdai_club
These three institutions of world governance were established after a significant extermination of human life, the destruction of massive amounts of fixed capital, and social infrastructure.
While we are all, as a species-being, confronted by this crisis of existence and challenges of survival, it is the ‘geriatric’ institutions of global governance established in the second half of the 20th century that have governed us into this iniquitous situation.
If our current negative conditions are the outcomes of these institutions and their agencies, then we should and must reimagine a system of rules and governance structures that are actually capable of delivering the world that we want, need, and demand.
We should creatively destroy that which is ill-suited to our real requirements, and which persistently reproduces the hegemony of an absolute minority of people through advancing the narrow interests of a dominant fraction of capital in one country out of the multitude that constitute the world systems and the UN, writes Rasigan Maharajh, Director of the Institute for Economic Research on Innovation at the Tshwane University of Technology (South Africa) for the 19th Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/we-should-creatively-destroy-that-which-is-ill-sui/
#VALDAI2022
@valdai_club
Valdai Club
We Should Creatively Destroy That Which Is Ill-Suited to our Real Requirements
We should creatively destroy that which is ill-suited to our real requirements, and which persistently reproduces the hegemony of an absolute minority of people through advancing the narrow interests of a dominant fraction of capital in one country out of…
🗺 It is not justifiable for any country to use the term of “rules based order” to manipulate the world when there is actually no such list of rules to be found anywhere under that title.
We can perhaps start with the following statement that “the act of alienating a country because it has a different culture and traditional values, or decoupling economic ties with a country because it has a different social and political system, or meddling with the internal affairs of another country simply because one wants to, or trying to simply separate the world into “them” and “us”, or relying still on gunboat diplomacy, these acts must be considered as uncivilised and unworthy and must hence be denounced and condemned by the international community.
What we must also admit is that in this fast changing world, seeking an absolute security may not be a realistic pursuit for any country including Russia, nor is it realistic for the US to expect itself to act as the world’s policeman forever. For either side of the conflict, pushing the envelope too hard or trying to drive the other side to the very corner will only lead to reckless reactions, thus bringing disasters to humanity. Disputes among nations are always better to be settled through peaceful negotiations and that’s where diplomacy comes into play.
China doesn’t have a history of practising colonialism or meddling with other countries’ internal affairs. This is why China believes in peaceful co-existence among nations and settlement of disputes are to be settled by peaceful negotiation rather than relying on force or gunboat diplomacy.
It is also unthinkable in today’s world for any country to dictate what the “rules” should be without the general consensus of all nations across the world, writes Nelson Wong, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Centre for RimPac Strategic and International Studies, for the 19th Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/china-in-the-times-of-global-disorder/
#VALDAI2022
@valdai_club
We can perhaps start with the following statement that “the act of alienating a country because it has a different culture and traditional values, or decoupling economic ties with a country because it has a different social and political system, or meddling with the internal affairs of another country simply because one wants to, or trying to simply separate the world into “them” and “us”, or relying still on gunboat diplomacy, these acts must be considered as uncivilised and unworthy and must hence be denounced and condemned by the international community.
What we must also admit is that in this fast changing world, seeking an absolute security may not be a realistic pursuit for any country including Russia, nor is it realistic for the US to expect itself to act as the world’s policeman forever. For either side of the conflict, pushing the envelope too hard or trying to drive the other side to the very corner will only lead to reckless reactions, thus bringing disasters to humanity. Disputes among nations are always better to be settled through peaceful negotiations and that’s where diplomacy comes into play.
China doesn’t have a history of practising colonialism or meddling with other countries’ internal affairs. This is why China believes in peaceful co-existence among nations and settlement of disputes are to be settled by peaceful negotiation rather than relying on force or gunboat diplomacy.
It is also unthinkable in today’s world for any country to dictate what the “rules” should be without the general consensus of all nations across the world, writes Nelson Wong, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Centre for RimPac Strategic and International Studies, for the 19th Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/china-in-the-times-of-global-disorder/
#VALDAI2022
@valdai_club
🇬🇧 Britain dreams of still being in the nineteenth century.
Today it is experiencing an economic and commercial crisis, the pound is weakening, it is unable to attract international capital to support development, and it has been hit by high inflation and increasingly serious social tensions.
More and more, its alliance with the United States is beginning to show the characteristics of a vassalage, writes Dario Velo, a Professor at Pavia University.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-crisis-of-english-sovereignty/
#Norms_and_Values #UK #GreatBritain
@valdai_club
Today it is experiencing an economic and commercial crisis, the pound is weakening, it is unable to attract international capital to support development, and it has been hit by high inflation and increasingly serious social tensions.
More and more, its alliance with the United States is beginning to show the characteristics of a vassalage, writes Dario Velo, a Professor at Pavia University.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-crisis-of-english-sovereignty/
#Norms_and_Values #UK #GreatBritain
@valdai_club
🇮🇳 At the heart of India’s national interests lie the well-being of its citizens, national image and influence.
For accomplishing these lofty goals, it is paramount to develop Comprehensive National Power (CNP) and configure it to promote national interests. However, India’s comprehensive national development is predicated on a stable strategic environment.
Therefore, the principal goal of India’s foreign policy is to successfully navigate complex strategic environment in the quest of positioning India in a prominent place in the comity of nations.
We are living in a world where ‘Pax Americana’ has lost its sheen; gone are the days of unipolarity, pre-emption and American universalism. We are witnessing the rise of China, resurgence of Russia in Eurasia and growth of middle-level powers like India. The contours of a new diffused and polycentric world order are becoming dark.
India is at the cusp of transiting from a balancing to a leading power, writes Major General (Ret.) B.K. Sharma, Director of the United Services Institution (India).
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/india-s-foreign-policy-in-evolving-geopolitical/
#Asia_and_Eurasia #India
@valdai_club
For accomplishing these lofty goals, it is paramount to develop Comprehensive National Power (CNP) and configure it to promote national interests. However, India’s comprehensive national development is predicated on a stable strategic environment.
Therefore, the principal goal of India’s foreign policy is to successfully navigate complex strategic environment in the quest of positioning India in a prominent place in the comity of nations.
We are living in a world where ‘Pax Americana’ has lost its sheen; gone are the days of unipolarity, pre-emption and American universalism. We are witnessing the rise of China, resurgence of Russia in Eurasia and growth of middle-level powers like India. The contours of a new diffused and polycentric world order are becoming dark.
India is at the cusp of transiting from a balancing to a leading power, writes Major General (Ret.) B.K. Sharma, Director of the United Services Institution (India).
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/india-s-foreign-policy-in-evolving-geopolitical/
#Asia_and_Eurasia #India
@valdai_club
Valdai Club
India’s Foreign Policy in Evolving Geopolitical Scenario
At a juncture when a buoyant India is well on its transition from a balancing power to a leading power, unprecedented geopolitical developments are unravelling at a fast pace in our strategic neighborhood and beyond. The three strategic shocks viz, COVID…
🇬🇧 Rishi Sunak, who became the new leader of the Conservative party and prime minister, differs in many ways from his predecessors.
🔸 He is the youngest head of the British government in the last two centuries (he is 42 years old).
🔸 He is the owner of a large fortune and is among the 250 richest people in the country.
🔸 Sunak is a descendant of immigrants from India. In recent years, the descendants of immigrants, including those from former African and Asian colonies, have held high positions in the British government, but for the first time one has managed to reach the very top.
Rishi Sunak undoubtedly faces a number of very serious problems, both current and long-term, and he will face a tough test of strength. First of all, there’s the economy. The country is experiencing a high level of inflation, the main sectors of the economy are in recession and all this is happening amid an energy crisis.
Britain’s foreign policy is also facing difficult challenges. Like all former empires, it is constantly searching for its place in a changing world.
After leaving the EU, London approved a new line — a “Global Britain”, which it has been trying to pursue in recent years. At the same time, special emphasis is placed on the Indo-Pacific region (the AUKUS alliance, the development of ties with India, Japan, etc.).
In the context of this policy, London also pursues a particularly hard line toward Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. By providing significant assistance to Ukraine, Britain is trying to increase its importance in world affairs.
It is unlikely that Rishi Sunak will make significant adjustments to British foreign policy, writes Konstantin Khudolei, head of the Department of European Studies at the Faculty of International Relations at St. Petersburg State University.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/prime-minister-rishi-sunak-a-test-of-strength/
#RishiSunak #UK
@valdai_club
🔸 He is the youngest head of the British government in the last two centuries (he is 42 years old).
🔸 He is the owner of a large fortune and is among the 250 richest people in the country.
🔸 Sunak is a descendant of immigrants from India. In recent years, the descendants of immigrants, including those from former African and Asian colonies, have held high positions in the British government, but for the first time one has managed to reach the very top.
Rishi Sunak undoubtedly faces a number of very serious problems, both current and long-term, and he will face a tough test of strength. First of all, there’s the economy. The country is experiencing a high level of inflation, the main sectors of the economy are in recession and all this is happening amid an energy crisis.
Britain’s foreign policy is also facing difficult challenges. Like all former empires, it is constantly searching for its place in a changing world.
After leaving the EU, London approved a new line — a “Global Britain”, which it has been trying to pursue in recent years. At the same time, special emphasis is placed on the Indo-Pacific region (the AUKUS alliance, the development of ties with India, Japan, etc.).
In the context of this policy, London also pursues a particularly hard line toward Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. By providing significant assistance to Ukraine, Britain is trying to increase its importance in world affairs.
It is unlikely that Rishi Sunak will make significant adjustments to British foreign policy, writes Konstantin Khudolei, head of the Department of European Studies at the Faculty of International Relations at St. Petersburg State University.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/prime-minister-rishi-sunak-a-test-of-strength/
#RishiSunak #UK
@valdai_club
Valdai Club
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak: A Test of Strength
The fact that there have been five prime ministers in the UK over the past six years, including three in the past two months, confirms that there are serious problems with the country, writes Konstantin Khudolei, head of the Department of European Studies…
🇮🇳 Over the past decades, India’s foreign policy has been considered a model of strategic balancing: New Delhi has managed to maintain good relations with Moscow, Washington, Tehran, and London. This was all thanks to the seemingly indestructible liberal world order.
The events of recent years, and especially this year have taken India out of its comfort zone.
India felt quite comfortable in the previous reality; the new one puts it before a large number of challenges, which the Indian leadership has so far successfully overcome, once again demonstrating an exceptional ability not to quarrel with anyone more than necessary and to extract maximum profit from the conflicts between other great powers, writes Valdai Club expert Alexey Kupriyanov.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/india-s-foreign-policy-dilemmas/
#Asia_and_Eurasia #India
@valdai_club
The events of recent years, and especially this year have taken India out of its comfort zone.
India felt quite comfortable in the previous reality; the new one puts it before a large number of challenges, which the Indian leadership has so far successfully overcome, once again demonstrating an exceptional ability not to quarrel with anyone more than necessary and to extract maximum profit from the conflicts between other great powers, writes Valdai Club expert Alexey Kupriyanov.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/india-s-foreign-policy-dilemmas/
#Asia_and_Eurasia #India
@valdai_club
🌏 Eurasian economic integration can become, in a sense, a “trench” — a relatively safe and resource-rich zone.
Within this zone countries could solve some of the most important tasks for preserving development.
However, the trenches need “bridges” among themselves — various trans-regional partnerships based on a system of maximally flexible agreements, linking various regional groupings, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Timofei Bordachev.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/trenches-and-bridges-of-eurasian-integration/
#Asia_and_Eurasia #EAEU
@valdai_club
Within this zone countries could solve some of the most important tasks for preserving development.
However, the trenches need “bridges” among themselves — various trans-regional partnerships based on a system of maximally flexible agreements, linking various regional groupings, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Timofei Bordachev.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/trenches-and-bridges-of-eurasian-integration/
#Asia_and_Eurasia #EAEU
@valdai_club
🇧🇷🇷🇺 Relations between Brazil and Russia have historically been marked by periods of estrangement and rapprochement.
The US and its influence in Latin America has been a constant element in the relationship between the two countries. Hence, the nature of the relationship (rapprochement or distancing) between Moscow and Brasilia is a direct reflection of the political and ideological changes in the diplomatic landscape.
The current government of Jair Bolsonaro illustrates this trend. During the first years of Bolsonaro's administration, it leaned towards the United States; an automatic alignment with Washington's policymakers during Trump’s tenure. During this period, Brazil became a major non-NATO US ally and dismantled the main regional integration projects of previous governments, submitting Brazilian regional leadership to the Organisation of American States (OAS).
Brazil's pragmatism and regional leadership during the Lula administration were responsible for laying the foundations for a strategic relationship between Brazil and Russia.
Moscow’s position becomes even more relevant in the current context of Western sanctions against Russia, and Brazil must play an important role that can benefit both countries. For these reasons, Russia is not interested in a weakened Brazil, subordinated to the US. The Kremlin recognises Brazil as an important partner of Russia in Latin America and seeks to give Brazil a position as an indispensable ally in the design of the multipolar world.
The future of Brazil-Russia relations is also conditional upon the Russian ability to deal with the Western pressure that the new term of Lula da Silva will be subjected to, in addition to the Western diplomatic inability in building fruitful interlocution with Brasilia, writes Valdai Club expert Boris Perius Zabolotsky.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/brazil-and-russia-what-can-russia-expect-from/
#Norms_and_Values #Brazil #Lula #Bolsonaro
@valdai_club
The US and its influence in Latin America has been a constant element in the relationship between the two countries. Hence, the nature of the relationship (rapprochement or distancing) between Moscow and Brasilia is a direct reflection of the political and ideological changes in the diplomatic landscape.
The current government of Jair Bolsonaro illustrates this trend. During the first years of Bolsonaro's administration, it leaned towards the United States; an automatic alignment with Washington's policymakers during Trump’s tenure. During this period, Brazil became a major non-NATO US ally and dismantled the main regional integration projects of previous governments, submitting Brazilian regional leadership to the Organisation of American States (OAS).
Brazil's pragmatism and regional leadership during the Lula administration were responsible for laying the foundations for a strategic relationship between Brazil and Russia.
Moscow’s position becomes even more relevant in the current context of Western sanctions against Russia, and Brazil must play an important role that can benefit both countries. For these reasons, Russia is not interested in a weakened Brazil, subordinated to the US. The Kremlin recognises Brazil as an important partner of Russia in Latin America and seeks to give Brazil a position as an indispensable ally in the design of the multipolar world.
The future of Brazil-Russia relations is also conditional upon the Russian ability to deal with the Western pressure that the new term of Lula da Silva will be subjected to, in addition to the Western diplomatic inability in building fruitful interlocution with Brasilia, writes Valdai Club expert Boris Perius Zabolotsky.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/brazil-and-russia-what-can-russia-expect-from/
#Norms_and_Values #Brazil #Lula #Bolsonaro
@valdai_club
Valdai Club
Brazil and Russia: What Can Russia Expect from the New Government of Lula da Silva?
Never before in the history of Brazil has the country faced such striking political polarisation and violence. These features could be a reflection of a country that has lost relevance in recent years and now needs to seek international insertion in an increasingly…
📆 ANNOUNCEMENT: On November 9 at 11:00 a.m. Moscow time, the Valdai Club will host a discussion titled “Red vs. Blue: How Will the New Composition of Congress Affect US Policy?”
On November 8, 2022, the US midterm elections will be held. The current election campaign will largely determine the fate of the 2024 presidential election. The campaign to nominate candidates for the presidency of the United States may be launched soon after the midterm elections.
According to polls, the Republicans have a good chance of regaining a majority in the House of Representatives following the midterm elections. It is quite possible that they will take the majority in the Senate, but the outcome of the elections remains anyone’s guess.
Although US foreign policy is unlikely to change as a result of the elections, some of the emphasis in the US approach to the Ukrainian issue may be shifted. Thus, one of the likely consequences of the victory of the Republicans, according to the American media, could be a reduction in the weapons and financial assistance supplied to Ukraine by the United States.
❓What should we expect from a possible new or ongoing balance of power in the US Congress?
❓Will a potential shift in power affect US policy towards Ukraine?
❓Will it bring changes to Russian-American relations?
Participants of the discussion will try to answer these and other questions.
🎙 Speakers:
🇺🇸 Dimitri Simes, President, Center for the National Interest, Washington
🇷🇺 Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director and Research Fellow, CCEMI, National Research University Higher School of Economics
Moderator:
🚩 Andrey Sushentsov, Programme director of the Valdai Discussion Club
https://valdaiclub.com/events/announcements/valdai-club-to-discuss-the-us-midterm-elections/
Working languages: Russian, English.
ℹ️ Information for the media: In order to be accredited to the event, fill out the form on our website. If you have any questions about the event, please call +7 926 930 77 63.
A link to the live broadcast of the discussion will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the website, Twitter, VKontakte, Telegram and Zen.
@valdai_club
On November 8, 2022, the US midterm elections will be held. The current election campaign will largely determine the fate of the 2024 presidential election. The campaign to nominate candidates for the presidency of the United States may be launched soon after the midterm elections.
According to polls, the Republicans have a good chance of regaining a majority in the House of Representatives following the midterm elections. It is quite possible that they will take the majority in the Senate, but the outcome of the elections remains anyone’s guess.
Although US foreign policy is unlikely to change as a result of the elections, some of the emphasis in the US approach to the Ukrainian issue may be shifted. Thus, one of the likely consequences of the victory of the Republicans, according to the American media, could be a reduction in the weapons and financial assistance supplied to Ukraine by the United States.
❓What should we expect from a possible new or ongoing balance of power in the US Congress?
❓Will a potential shift in power affect US policy towards Ukraine?
❓Will it bring changes to Russian-American relations?
Participants of the discussion will try to answer these and other questions.
🎙 Speakers:
🇺🇸 Dimitri Simes, President, Center for the National Interest, Washington
🇷🇺 Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director and Research Fellow, CCEMI, National Research University Higher School of Economics
Moderator:
🚩 Andrey Sushentsov, Programme director of the Valdai Discussion Club
https://valdaiclub.com/events/announcements/valdai-club-to-discuss-the-us-midterm-elections/
Working languages: Russian, English.
ℹ️ Information for the media: In order to be accredited to the event, fill out the form on our website. If you have any questions about the event, please call +7 926 930 77 63.
A link to the live broadcast of the discussion will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the website, Twitter, VKontakte, Telegram and Zen.
@valdai_club
Valdai Club
Valdai Club to Discuss the US Midterm Elections
On November 8, 2022, the US midterm elections will be held. The current election campaign will largely determine the fate of the 2024 presidential election. The campaign to nominate candidates for the presidency of the United States may be launched soon after…
Valdai Discussion Club pinned «📆 ANNOUNCEMENT: On November 9 at 11:00 a.m. Moscow time, the Valdai Club will host a discussion titled “Red vs. Blue: How Will the New Composition of Congress Affect US Policy?” On November 8, 2022, the US midterm elections will be held. The current election…»
🗺 How will Europe survive in the new conditions of a crumbling world order?
States will have to possess two characteristics.
1️⃣ First, strategic autonomy. It is based on a sober understanding of one's resource endowment and a verified hierarchy of vital interests. Strategically, autonomous behaviour is always based on the correlation of these variables. Today in Europe, strategic autonomy has been replaced in most countries by imported foreign policy models.
2️⃣ Second, it is necessary to have the initiative. In a situation of intense change, one cannot remain passive. Many countries today take a wait-and-see attitude in the hope that changes will not affect them. However, those who adopt this indifferent position pay the highest price - in fact, a new international reality will be built at their expense.
Amid conditions of increased competition between the three major centres - the West, the non-West and the "world majority" - non-participation in the restructuring of the world means a strategic defeat, writes Andrey Sushentsov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/russia-will-not-follow-such-rules-why-sovereignty-/
#ModernDiplomacy #WorldOrder
@valdai_club
States will have to possess two characteristics.
1️⃣ First, strategic autonomy. It is based on a sober understanding of one's resource endowment and a verified hierarchy of vital interests. Strategically, autonomous behaviour is always based on the correlation of these variables. Today in Europe, strategic autonomy has been replaced in most countries by imported foreign policy models.
2️⃣ Second, it is necessary to have the initiative. In a situation of intense change, one cannot remain passive. Many countries today take a wait-and-see attitude in the hope that changes will not affect them. However, those who adopt this indifferent position pay the highest price - in fact, a new international reality will be built at their expense.
Amid conditions of increased competition between the three major centres - the West, the non-West and the "world majority" - non-participation in the restructuring of the world means a strategic defeat, writes Andrey Sushentsov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/russia-will-not-follow-such-rules-why-sovereignty-/
#ModernDiplomacy #WorldOrder
@valdai_club
Valdai Club
‘Russia Will Not Follow Such Rules’: Why Sovereignty and Initiative Are the Main Conditions for Success in the 21st Century
In a situation of intense change, one cannot remain passive. Many countries today take a wait-and-see attitude in the hope that changes will not affect them. However, those who adopt this indifferent position pay the highest price — in fact, a new international…
⏰ TODAY at 11:00 a.m. Moscow time, the Valdai Club will host a discussion titled “Red vs. Blue: How Will the New Composition of Congress Affect US Policy?”
❓What should we expect from a possible new or ongoing balance of power in the US Congress?
❓Will a potential shift in power affect US policy towards Ukraine?
❓Will it bring changes to Russian-American relations?
Participants of the discussion will try to answer these and other questions.
@valdai_club
❓What should we expect from a possible new or ongoing balance of power in the US Congress?
❓Will a potential shift in power affect US policy towards Ukraine?
❓Will it bring changes to Russian-American relations?
Participants of the discussion will try to answer these and other questions.
@valdai_club
UPD: The livestream is over. The video of the discussion is available via the same link. Stay tuned!
🎥 LIVE: at 11:00 a.m. Moscow time we are starting a discussion titled “Red vs. Blue: How Will the New Composition of Congress Affect US Policy?”
https://vk.com/video-214192832_456239050
#ModernDiplomacy #Election2022 #UnitedStates
@valdai_club
🎥 LIVE: at 11:00 a.m. Moscow time we are starting a discussion titled “Red vs. Blue: How Will the New Composition of Congress Affect US Policy?”
https://vk.com/video-214192832_456239050
#ModernDiplomacy #Election2022 #UnitedStates
@valdai_club
Vk
The US Midterm Elections. An Expert Discussion
On November 9 at 11:00 a.m. Moscow time, the Valdai Club will host a discussion titled “Red vs. Blue: How Will the New Composition of Congress Affect US Policy?” More: https://valdaiclub.com/events/own/the-us-midterm-elections-an-expert-discussion/
Valdai Discussion Club pinned «UPD: The livestream is over. The video of the discussion is available via the same link. Stay tuned! 🎥 LIVE: at 11:00 a.m. Moscow time we are starting a discussion titled “Red vs. Blue: How Will the New Composition of Congress Affect US Policy?” https://vk.com/video…»
📷 On November 10, the Valdai Club held a discussion titled “Red vs. Blue: How Will the New Composition of Congress Affect US Policy?”
Photo gallery of the discussion is available on VK.
The video of the discussion is available via this link.
Stay tuned!
@valdai_club
Photo gallery of the discussion is available on VK.
The video of the discussion is available via this link.
Stay tuned!
@valdai_club
🗽⛔️ Washington has continued its policy of strictly enforcing existing sanctions regimes.
Characteristically, in this regard, not only persons from third countries, but also American citizens and companies have found themselves under attack. At the same time, the use by the United States of the instrument of fines, which performs a number of functions at once, is especially indicative. In particular, for those persons subject to punitive measures, they can serve as a signal that they should accept the conditions of US regulators, or otherwise, more serious consequences, such as blocking, may occur.
For organisations that have not faced enforcement measures, fines serve as a warning to comply with sanctions regimes. As a result, in a number of cases, companies have improved compliance programmes and independently monitor the status of counterparties, thereby adopting the US sanctions.
The United States continues to be guided by the goal of increasing the effectiveness of sanctions, which is considered an essential condition for ensuring compliance with existing regimes through coercive measures. They often cover US legal entities (and less often individuals) but the largest amounts are paid by European financial companies. This causes dissatisfaction among the allies and encourages them to look for ways to protect business, however, on a global scale it does not affect Euro-Atlantic solidarity in terms of applying sanctions against other countries, writes Valdai Club expert Yulia Sokolshik.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/usa-versus-usa-why-american-business-also-loses/
#EconomicStatecraft #UnitedStates #sanctions
@valdai_club
Characteristically, in this regard, not only persons from third countries, but also American citizens and companies have found themselves under attack. At the same time, the use by the United States of the instrument of fines, which performs a number of functions at once, is especially indicative. In particular, for those persons subject to punitive measures, they can serve as a signal that they should accept the conditions of US regulators, or otherwise, more serious consequences, such as blocking, may occur.
For organisations that have not faced enforcement measures, fines serve as a warning to comply with sanctions regimes. As a result, in a number of cases, companies have improved compliance programmes and independently monitor the status of counterparties, thereby adopting the US sanctions.
The United States continues to be guided by the goal of increasing the effectiveness of sanctions, which is considered an essential condition for ensuring compliance with existing regimes through coercive measures. They often cover US legal entities (and less often individuals) but the largest amounts are paid by European financial companies. This causes dissatisfaction among the allies and encourages them to look for ways to protect business, however, on a global scale it does not affect Euro-Atlantic solidarity in terms of applying sanctions against other countries, writes Valdai Club expert Yulia Sokolshik.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/usa-versus-usa-why-american-business-also-loses/
#EconomicStatecraft #UnitedStates #sanctions
@valdai_club
Valdai Club
USA Versus USA: Why American Business Also Loses from Sanctions
Washington has continued its policy of strictly enforcing existing sanctions regimes. Characteristically, in this regard, not only persons from third countries, but also American citizens and companies have found themselves under attack.
🇺🇸 US Midterm Elections: Political Civil War Against the Backdrop of a New Cold War
On November 9, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion titled “Red vs. Blue: How Will the New Composition of Congress Affect US Policy?”
Discussion moderator Andrey Sushentsov, programme director of the Valdai Club, asked the participants how much domestic political turbulence associated with the past midterm elections will affect the US foreign policy, Russian-American relations, and the Ukrainian crisis.
💬 Dimitri Simes, president of the Washington-based Center for the National Interest, commented on the preliminary results of the election, noting that although the exact results are not yet known and the fate of several seats in the Senate has yet to be determined, the most likely scenario is the long-predicted option in which the Republicans will control the House of Representatives, and the Democrats will retain control of Senate.
This means that the Republicans will not be able to determine US policy, but will be able to control specific budget items and conduct investigations. As a result, Ukraine will probably not receive the unconditional multibillion-dollar support that it has received so far, and the Biden administration will have to explain to congressmen what America is doing in Ukraine and how it is going to get out of this situation.
💬 Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director and Research Fellow of the HSE CCEMI, noted that we should expect more active discussion in Congress on the allocation of funds to Ukraine, but funds will still be allocated. Speaking about US domestic policy, he stressed that the midterm elections are traditionally seen as an indicator of support for the incumbent president and the start of a new presidential campaign.
The intensity with which the midterm campaign was campaigned shows just how divided the country is.
Turning to foreign policy, the expert pointed out that the Ukrainian conflict is perceived as an existentially important element for the United States in the transition to the “new Cold War” paradigm. Therefore, the policy regarding Ukraine will not change and the pro-Ukrainian consensus will not disappear, but the implementation of this policy will be fraught with difficulties.
https://valdaiclub.com/events/posts/articles/us-midterm-elections-political-civil-war-against-the-backdrop-of-a-new-cold-war/
#ModernDiplomacy #Election2022 #Midterms2022
@valdai_club
On November 9, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion titled “Red vs. Blue: How Will the New Composition of Congress Affect US Policy?”
Discussion moderator Andrey Sushentsov, programme director of the Valdai Club, asked the participants how much domestic political turbulence associated with the past midterm elections will affect the US foreign policy, Russian-American relations, and the Ukrainian crisis.
💬 Dimitri Simes, president of the Washington-based Center for the National Interest, commented on the preliminary results of the election, noting that although the exact results are not yet known and the fate of several seats in the Senate has yet to be determined, the most likely scenario is the long-predicted option in which the Republicans will control the House of Representatives, and the Democrats will retain control of Senate.
This means that the Republicans will not be able to determine US policy, but will be able to control specific budget items and conduct investigations. As a result, Ukraine will probably not receive the unconditional multibillion-dollar support that it has received so far, and the Biden administration will have to explain to congressmen what America is doing in Ukraine and how it is going to get out of this situation.
💬 Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director and Research Fellow of the HSE CCEMI, noted that we should expect more active discussion in Congress on the allocation of funds to Ukraine, but funds will still be allocated. Speaking about US domestic policy, he stressed that the midterm elections are traditionally seen as an indicator of support for the incumbent president and the start of a new presidential campaign.
The intensity with which the midterm campaign was campaigned shows just how divided the country is.
Turning to foreign policy, the expert pointed out that the Ukrainian conflict is perceived as an existentially important element for the United States in the transition to the “new Cold War” paradigm. Therefore, the policy regarding Ukraine will not change and the pro-Ukrainian consensus will not disappear, but the implementation of this policy will be fraught with difficulties.
https://valdaiclub.com/events/posts/articles/us-midterm-elections-political-civil-war-against-the-backdrop-of-a-new-cold-war/
#ModernDiplomacy #Election2022 #Midterms2022
@valdai_club
Valdai Club
US Midterm Elections: Political Civil War Against the Backdrop of a New Cold War
On November 9, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion titled “Red vs. Blue: How Will the New Composition of Congress Affect US Policy?” Discussion moderator Andrey Sushentsov, programme director of the Valdai Club, asked the participants how much domestic…
🇷🇺🌍 Russia has chosen the Politics First course, in which economic preferences are a natural consequence of successful political cooperation.
This approach is likely to be efficient, since the reverse — first the economy, then everything else — has proven to be unsteady, writes Kirill Babaev, Acting Director of the Institute of China and Modern Asia at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/prospects-for-expanding-russia-s-econom/
#Valdai_WorldEconomy #Africa
@valdai_club
This approach is likely to be efficient, since the reverse — first the economy, then everything else — has proven to be unsteady, writes Kirill Babaev, Acting Director of the Institute of China and Modern Asia at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/prospects-for-expanding-russia-s-econom/
#Valdai_WorldEconomy #Africa
@valdai_club
Valdai Club
Prospects for Expanding Russia’s Economic Interaction With African Countries
Russia has chosen the Politics First course, in which economic preferences are a natural consequence of successful political cooperation. This approach is likely to be efficient, since the reverse — first the economy, then everything else — has proven to…
🇰🇷 There has been a significant rise of concern in South Korea recently about the state of national security.
One of the main reasons for concern has been the rapid development of the nuclear missile programme in North Korea. Pyongyang currently has delivery systems that allow it to strike the United States, while at the same time it is actively working to develop and deploy its own tactical nuclear weapons.
In an attempt to get out of the crisis, the South Korean political class is primarily discussing two possible solutions. First, they are talking about the possibility of South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons, and, second, about the return to the Korean Peninsula of American tactical nuclear weapons, which were withdrawn in the early 1990s.
In the event of an attempt to create its own nuclear weapons, South Korea would immediately face both international sanctions and harsh sanctions from China. However, the situation has recently begun to take such a turn that an increasing number of people in the South Korean establishment believe that these economic losses can be ignored, writes Andrei Lankov, Professor at the Kookmin University (Seoul).
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/nuclear-weapons-for-south-korea/
#ModernDiplomacy #SouthKorea
@valdai_club
One of the main reasons for concern has been the rapid development of the nuclear missile programme in North Korea. Pyongyang currently has delivery systems that allow it to strike the United States, while at the same time it is actively working to develop and deploy its own tactical nuclear weapons.
In an attempt to get out of the crisis, the South Korean political class is primarily discussing two possible solutions. First, they are talking about the possibility of South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons, and, second, about the return to the Korean Peninsula of American tactical nuclear weapons, which were withdrawn in the early 1990s.
In the event of an attempt to create its own nuclear weapons, South Korea would immediately face both international sanctions and harsh sanctions from China. However, the situation has recently begun to take such a turn that an increasing number of people in the South Korean establishment believe that these economic losses can be ignored, writes Andrei Lankov, Professor at the Kookmin University (Seoul).
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/nuclear-weapons-for-south-korea/
#ModernDiplomacy #SouthKorea
@valdai_club
Valdai Club
Nuclear Weapons for South Korea?
South Korea’s direct and indirect nuclear ambitions seem to be put to rest for the time being. However, the situation in the region continues to deteriorate, and this suggests that the South Korean political class will continue to look for some way out of…
🌐 The G20 summit in Indonesia will need to keep its focus on the key imperatives and exigencies of today’s world economy, most notably the rising risks of a global recession.
Indeed, there do appear to be crucial items on the economic agenda that are awaiting decisions from the largest economies of the globe during the period of unprecedented risks and volatility in the markets. Among the possible venues for discussion are the need to introduce greater inclusivity into the G20 forum itself, with due representation accorded to developing economies.
With the IMF warning about the rising risks of recession perhaps the most important economic issue to discuss at the G20 summit will be the coordination of an anti-crisis response across the global economy.
The developing countries in the coming years could make a lasting and crucial contribution to making the G20 a more effective and inclusive global anti-crisis mechanism, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Yaroslav Lissovolik.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-g20-summit-and-beyond/
#Valdai_WorldEconomy #G20
@valdai_club
Indeed, there do appear to be crucial items on the economic agenda that are awaiting decisions from the largest economies of the globe during the period of unprecedented risks and volatility in the markets. Among the possible venues for discussion are the need to introduce greater inclusivity into the G20 forum itself, with due representation accorded to developing economies.
With the IMF warning about the rising risks of recession perhaps the most important economic issue to discuss at the G20 summit will be the coordination of an anti-crisis response across the global economy.
The developing countries in the coming years could make a lasting and crucial contribution to making the G20 a more effective and inclusive global anti-crisis mechanism, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Yaroslav Lissovolik.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-g20-summit-and-beyond/
#Valdai_WorldEconomy #G20
@valdai_club
Valdai Club
The G20 Summit and Beyond
The G20 summit in Indonesia will need to keep its focus on the key imperatives and exigencies of today’s world economy, most notably the rising risks of a global recession. Indeed, there do appear to be crucial items on the economic agenda that are awaiting…