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⚑️🌐 The arising geopolitical turbulence is unpredictable. There is a transition from multilateralism to unilateralism, from cooperation to competition. As states respond to the challenges offered by today's changing priorities, some view multilateral institutions as obstacles rather than instruments for promoting their interests.

In 2020 we published an infographic on global geopolitical challenges and it is still relevant to this day. Sections of the infographics β€” Geopolitical, Technological, Environmental, Societal β€” are aligned with the sessions of the 18th Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.

The high-res infographic is available here.

#VALDAI2021 #geopolitics #technology #ecology #society

@valdai_club β€” The Valdai Discussion Club
πŸ‘₯🌐 Almost two years after the spread of the coronavirus, all major social challenges and problems remain relevant.

πŸ”Ή Despite the higher mortality rate among the elderly, the aging of the population has not gone away. It continues to affect the processes in the labour market, public finances, and the slowdown in economic growth.

πŸ”Ή Technological change and the trend towards digitalisation remain with us, and have even accelerated.

πŸ”Ή The temporary reduction in migration flows due to the closure of sectors of the economy and borders only emphasised the almost invisible, but important role of migrants in safeguarding our lives.

πŸ”Ή At the same time, the pandemic showed a clear link between inequality and the magnitude of losses, not only economic or social, but also on a human scale. The phenomenon of higher mortality in countries with higher income inequality, known even before the pandemic, has received new empirical confirmation.

The coronavirus pandemic, while serving as a powerful shake-up, did not become the key to solving the accumulated social problems. High income inequality, often perceived as unfair, provokes an increase in social tension, which, in the absence of social cohesion, finds very crooked answers, writes Valdai Club expert Oksana Sinyavskaya.

πŸ”— The Coronavirus Pandemic: A Key to Solving Social Problems or a Catalyst for Them?

#Global_Governance #coronavirus #pandemic #society

@valdai_club β€” The Valdai Discussion Club
β“πŸ’¬ Is tolerance possible for all?

Since 1995, the International Day for Tolerance has been observed on November 16. On that day, UNESCO issued a declaration establishing the holiday, and over the past years, it has become sufficiently rooted in international practice. At the same time, it would hardly be an exaggeration to admit that the Day for Tolerance has by no means become a significant public holiday. Why? Writes Oleg Barabanov, Valdai Club Programme Director.

πŸ”— Day for Tolerance: Is Tolerance Possible for All?

#Morality_and_Law #tolerance #society

πŸ“· Β©Reuters

@valdai_club β€” The Valdai Discussion Club
πŸ›‘The inadmissibility of revision of the results of World War II is the most important postulate of Russian policy in the field of historical memory.

The Russian-backed narrative, where Nazism is an absolute evil and the Soviet Union played a key role in crushing it, is giving way to the dominant counter-narrative promoted by the countries of Eastern Europe.

The idea that the Soviet Union bears equal responsibility with Germany for unleashing the Second World War is gradually becoming pan-European mainstream sentiment, which entails important consequences for Russia’s status in the international arena. 

πŸ‘‰ Anton Bespalov, deputy editor-in-chief of valdaiclub.com, talks with Alexei Miller, professor at the European University in St. Petersburg about how this situation has developed and what politics Russia can follow in these circumstances.

πŸ”— Historical Memory Battles in the 21st Century: How Can Russia Defend Its WWII Narrative?

#history #society #WWII

πŸ“· Β©Sputnik/Maxim Bogodvid

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πŸ™ Over the course of one day, November 24, an unprecedented dialogue was hosted by Valdai Club. Representatives of the country’s three major religions (Christianity, Islam and Buddhism), as well as academics from Russia’s near and far abroad participated. The discussions underscored a number of important messages.

1️⃣ First, as diversity is the nature of the universe, mutual understanding is the only way to achieve national unity and world peace. It is important for us to respect each other despite our differences. It is dangerous to disregard others or try changing them by imposing certain beliefs and practices.

2️⃣ Second, loyalty to one’s homeland must be above any ethnic, religious or sectarian affiliation. It serves as a guarantee of national cohesion and prevents social unrest in every country. Russia is a unique example in this context.

3️⃣ Third, faith is power, and it is necessary to use this force for good. The politicization of religion is very destructive. 

Building bridges among Muslim societies and with others should enhance global peace, stability and security. That can be achieved through two main pillars, cultural and economic ones.

Our will to move together toward prosperity and development can bring about peace, stability and national unity, writes Nourhan ElSheikh, Professor of Political Science at Cairo University.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/symphony-of-harmony-and-peace-by-all-religions/

πŸ“Œ The article follows up on the Valdai Club’s conference Religious Polyphony and National Unity.

#Asia_and_Eurasia #religions #society

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🎲🌐 The current moment in international life can be compared to the early phase of the Cold War.

At that times excitement prevailed over calculation, there were no clear rules of the game and no one knew how nuclear weapons worked or what the real consequences of their use would be.

During the Korean crisis at the dawn of the Cold War, the issue of the use of nuclear weapons was substantively discussed by the American leadership. Then the American general Douglas MacArthur was removed from command in connection with his intention to use nuclear weapons in the theatre of operations without the consent of the White House. At that time, the measure of what was acceptable in escalation was tested with passion by all participants in world politics.

The Cuban Missile Crisis contributed to the awareness of the catastrophic imminence of the end of civilisation with the continued escalation of the conflict. This allowed the leaders of the US and the USSR to take a step back.

In today’s environment, you cannot β€œpress all the buttons at once”, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Andrey Sushentsov.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/excitement-and-rationality-in-the-foreign-policy/

#ModernDiplomacy #WorldOrder #society

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πŸ“† ANNOUNCEMENT: On December 11 at 12:00 noon Moscow time (GMT +3), the Valdai Club will host an expert discussion, titled β€œThe young generation in an era of change: A dialogue between Russian and African NGOs”.

The role of the Global South is growing, and this applies not only to the Asia-Pacific region, but also to the African continent. Africa is increasingly asserting itself as an independent entity on the world stage, freeing itself from the influence of former metropolises and fighting for independent development. Thus, despite the pressure, African countries did not implement sanctions against Russia. In addition, at the New Delhi summit in September, the African Union became a permanent member of the Group of Twenty (G20).

Africa is the continent with the youngest and fastest-growing population. According to a UN forecast, by 2050 Africans will most likely make up more than a quarter of humanity. That is why the future of not only the continent, but the entire planet depends on what African youth will be like. In this context, strengthening ties between the younger generation of Russia and Africa is a particularly promising and dynamic area of cooperation.

❓How does the historical experience of mutual assistance affect relations with African countries today?
❓What role do education and the graduates of Russian universities play in cooperation with Africa?
❓How do African countries perceive Russia's confrontation with Western countries?
❓What social values can both Russians and Africans share?
❓What do you see as Russia's strengths in the information space and the public opinion of African countries?

Participants in the discussion will try to answer these and other questions.

πŸŽ™οΈ Speakers:

πŸ‡·πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡ΉπŸ‡Ώ Andrey Avetisyan, Ambassador of Russia to the Republic of Tanzania

πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί Andrey Maslov, Director, Centre for African Studies, HSE University

πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί Natalia Zaiser, Chair of the Board, Africa Business Initiative Union

πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί Leonid Protsenko, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology of Personality Development, Moscow Pedagogical State University

πŸ‡¬πŸ‡­ Bening Ahmed, Secretary General of the Pan African Youth Union

πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Ή Jafar Geletu, Deputy Executive Director of the Institute of International Relations at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί Pavel Shevtsov, Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo

Moderator:

πŸ—£Oleg Barabanov, programme director of the Valdai Discussion Club

https://valdaiclub.com/events/announcements/valdai-club-to-discuss-dialogue-between-civil-societies-of-russia-and-africa/

Working languages: Russian, English.

ℹ️ Information for the media: Dear journalists, to be accredited for the event, please fill out the form on our website. If you have any questions about the event, call +79269307763

Links to the live broadcast of the open sessions will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the 
websiteVKontakteTelegram and Dzen.

#Norms_and_Values #Africa #society

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⏰ TODAY at 12:00 noon Moscow time (GMT +3), the Valdai Club will host an expert discussion, titled β€œThe young generation in an era of change: A dialogue between Russian and African NGOs”.

❓How does the historical experience of mutual assistance affect relations with African countries today?
❓What role do education and the graduates of Russian universities play in cooperation with Africa?
❓How do African countries perceive Russia's confrontation with Western countries?
❓What social values can both Russians and Africans share?
❓What do you see as Russia's strengths in the information space and the public opinion of African countries?

Participants in the discussion will try to answer these and other questions.

Links to the live broadcast of the open sessions will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the websiteVKontakteTelegram and Dzen.

#Norms_and_Values #Africa #society

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πŸ‡·πŸ‡ΊπŸŒ Russian-African Cooperation: In Search of a Youth Format

On December 11, 2023, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion titled β€œThe Young Generation in an Era of Change: Dialogue Between the Civil Societies of Russia and Africa”. The moderator was Oleg Barabanov, programme director of the Valdai Club. 

πŸ’¬ Pavel Shevtsov, deputy head of Rossotrudnichestvo, emphasised that Russia, when working with foreign audiences, should first of seek to work with young people, who in the near future will become decision-makers, shaping the foreign policy of their countries. He called graduates of Soviet and Russian universities in Africa the β€œgolden fund” of Russia. β€œThe future belongs to the African continent, we are one hundred percent sure of this. This is a continent that is gaining strength,” Shevtsov added.

πŸ’¬ Andrei Avetisyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to the Republic of Tanzania, called the issue of the role of youth in Russian-African interaction extremely timely and relevant. In his opinion, African countries now face the problem of gaining economic independence. Neither their former European metropolises nor the United States are interested in these countries' development, and they are trying to impose their agenda on them. African youth play an important role in this fight and are becoming increasingly active. Ties in the educational sphere are extremely important, but it is also necessary to develop business and cultural ties, focusing on youth, Avetisyan noted.

πŸ’¬ The issue of civil society interaction has been brewing in the international field for some time now, and the geopolitical events that have led to a new paradigm of relations have only increased its relevance, said Natalia Zaiser, Chair of the Board of the African Business Initiative Union. She considers mutual low awareness to be an important problem. β€œThe Russian-African agenda is still dominated by a situation where there’s a lack of knowledge both on the Russian side about the African continent and in Africa about Russia,” she noted, adding that Russian-African relations should be perceived as β€œa two-way street.”

πŸ’¬ Andrei Maslov, director of the Centre for African Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, noted that the Soviet Union had a good experience interacting with Africa, but the USSR worked practically without competitors, because the West was not ready to train African personnel in such numbers. Now Russia is encountering fierce competition, and this means that it will not be possible to use the quantitative factor; it is necessary to train the best, those who will occupy leading positions in their countries.

πŸ’¬ Leonid Protsenko, Associate Professor of the Department of Psychology of Personality Development at Moscow Pedagogical State University, examined the topic of discussion from a theoretical perspective. He pointed out that strategic vectors for working with youth have not yet been set in Russia. β€œWhen a strategy is blurred, there are a lot of different tactics that don’t lead to much movement,” he explained. It is necessary to create conditions, motivation, and prerequisites for exploring other regions. After this, conditions can be created for the interaction of communities and space for the next level of exchange.

https://valdaiclub.com/events/posts/articles/russian-african-cooperation-in-search-of-a-youth-format/

#Norms_and_Values #Africa #society

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