🇱🇧🇮🇱 Amid the current regional realities, agreement on the maritime border is becoming less and less advantageous for Lebanon and Israel.

Two incidents involving the detonation of communication devices, the liquidation of the Hezbollah Secretary General, and the IDF's operation Northern Arrows most aptly reflect the situation on the Lebanese-Israeli border over a period of just over a month.

Against this background, the "historic" agreement on the demarcation of the maritime border, signed two years ago and designed to pave the way for reconciliation between the two warring states, has remained in the shadows.

The reason for such inattention could be a complex array of foreign economic and domestic political factors that have predetermined the inability of the deal on the division of gas fields to contribute to preventing escalation, writes Elizaveta Yakimova.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/gas-for-peace-why-the-lebanese-israeli-maritime/

#Multipolarity_and_Connectivity #Lebanon #Israel

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🪙 Global changes in the system of international relations, the main examples of which are the movement towards multipolarity and the increase in the weight of developing countries in world economy and politics, have become one of the signs of the current historical moment.

This trend is reflected, among other things, in the increased interest of countries in organisations without a dominant leader such as BRICS, which already unites 10 states representing 45% of the world's population.

It seems that a turning point has come when the association has a chance to show its significance and effectiveness in terms of solving issues that do not have only an economic but also an ideological dimension for the countries of the world majority.

Problems in mutual settlements between Russia and China can be solved by introducing the BRICS Pay system. Based on blockchain technologies, it can become an analogue of SWIFT for transactions in national currencies.

If Russia and China are able to resolve current difficulties by becoming pioneers in the field of cross-border digital mutual settlements, the development of the world economy has a chance to change its vector, the weight of developing countries will increase significantly, and strategic sovereignty will acquire real, not declared outlines, write Natalya Pomozova and Artyom Semenov.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/cross-border-payments-in-a-multipolar-world/

#Multipolarity_and_Connectivity #BRICS

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⛔️ Why do countries that initiate sanctions reduce them? How long-term and sustainable is such a process?

Too often sanctions drag on for years or decades. This makes the experience of China, which managed to lift most US sanctions, even more interesting. The process has dragged on for more than a quarter of a century, and in recent years, Washington has once again increased pressure on Beijing.

However, China’s example helps shed light on the possible motives for easing sanctions or lifting them that the US has been guided by and may be guided by in the future. Three such motives can be identified.

1️⃣ The first is to reduce sanctions in order to get closer to the target country in the interest of breaking up coalitions with its participation or containing a more significant rival.

2️⃣ The second is to obtain economic advantages in the event of favourable political opportunities.

3️⃣ The third is an attempt to “socialise” the target country, to integrate it into the system of bilateral and multilateral relations in order to create an economic foundation for political dialogue.

Ivan Timofeev, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club, writes on these motives in the context of US-Chinese relations.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/lifting-sanctions-the-chinese-option/

#Multipolarity_and_Connectivity #China #sanctions

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