🌍 As never before in more than five centuries, Western hegemony is being challenged on economic, spiritual, military, social and technological levels simultaneously by the global majority.

The Western world’s development model is based on a parasitic approach to all resources (human, financial, raw materials, etc..), and is incapable of adapting to embrace a symbiotic approach in which all parties have to trade off (‘you give me some, I give you some’, instead of ‘I take everything and give you crumbs’). 

As a result, the West faces an existential threat: preserve its current hegemony at all costs or be forced to become “regular” countries that must trade with the rest of humanity on a more equitable basis.

Just like 1917, 1945 and 1991, 2022 was a defining moment in human history. However, unlike the previous century, when the socialist/communist ideology grew as an alternative to Western domination, expanded and then collapsed, the geopolitical storm of the third decade of the 21st century challenges Western hegemony at its core, writes Ibrahima Diagne.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/bridging-africa-and-the-world-the-rebirth/

📍 This is the first part of his reflections on the emerging multipolarity and Africa’s role in this process.

#GlobalAlternatives #Africa #multipolarity

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🇷🇺🇮🇩 Russia and Indonesia: A Time-Tested Partnership

On September 16, the Valdai Club hosted a presentation of the analytical paper titled “Maritime Geopolitics of the Pacific and Indian Oceans: A View from Moscow”, prepared ahead of the Russian-Indonesian Seminar in Jakarta. The moderator was Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Club.

💬 Lyudmila Vorobyova, Director of the Third Asian Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, briefly spoke about Russian-Indonesian cooperation, describing Indonesia as a time-tested partner for Russia in the Asia-Pacific region. She added that next year will mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations. They were especially warm in the 1960s. Today, the countries continue to embrace the traditions of friendship, trust, and mutual assistance established during the last century. Political dialogue is developing, meetings between foreign ministers and interparliamentary exchanges are held regularly, and cooperation takes place at international platforms. In the economic sphere, Russia is committed to further expanding trade and investment cooperation with its Indonesian partners; the development of a free trade agreement between the EAEU and Indonesia is in its final stage.

💬 Pyotr Skorospelov, Director of the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History, said that a special report has been prepared for the seminar based on recently declassified documents about the "golden decade" of Russian-Indonesian relations under Khrushchev and Sukarno. Interest in Indonesia arose in Moscow in the last years of Stalin's life on the wave of foreign policy's turn to the East after the People’s Republic was established in China. Khrushchev fully embraced the interests of the Global South, expanded the geographic scope of this policy, and provided a material basis for it. In terms of economic aid, Indonesia was a priority for Khrushchev, roughly on par with Egypt. The USSR assumed that Indonesia was a regional power centre and a potential great power, and built its policy on this premise.

💬 Alexey Kupriyanov, head of the Indian Ocean Region Centre at the IMEMO RAS and the author of the paper, emphasised that Russia, probably for the first time in its history, is in a situation where the main focus of its economic and political efforts is directed to the East. This was not the case even during the Cold War. This poses the task of developing a plan of action for dealing with Asia. Kupriyanov pointed out the key role of Indonesia in terms of maritime geopolitics, as it controls all the straits of the Malay Barrier. "It holds the key to all passages from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean," the expert noted. The situation in the region is currently becoming increasingly tense, and against this backdrop, Indonesia's importance will only increase.

https://valdaiclub.com/events/posts/articles/russia-and-indonesia-a-time-tested-partnership/

#Indonesia2024 #GlobalAlternatives #geopolitics

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🇷🇺🌍 Africa is the embodiment of the global majority, which Russia sees as the central subject of the new world order.

The countries of the continent (not all, but many) are gradually acquiring this subjectivity, developing relations with those who are important for their social and economic growth. 

Over the past two years, Africa has become one of the key areas of Russian foreign policy. Russia is following with great interest the rise of Africa's status in international affairs and is happy to contribute to it. The continent's colonial past and its legacy serve as a vivid illustration of the results of the West's long-standing dominance.

Igor Makarov, head of the Department of World Economy at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, writes how Russia can build an effective strategy for interaction with African countries.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/africa-as-a-key-area-of-russian-foreign-policy/

#GlobalAlternatives #Africa #RussiaAfrica #WorldMajority

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🗺️ High expectations are associated with the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan this October.

They touch upon both the issues of economic and financial coordination between the BRICS countries and the further development of the BRICS value platform. In this regard, it would be interesting to turn to the origins of BRICS and recall the value postulates that were laid down as the basis for the functioning of the group. These largely determine the symbolic alternative that BRICS represents in modern world politics, and make it attractive for entry for many countries of the Global Non-West and South.

The main message of those summits – a call for a fairer, more democratic and more harmonious world order, as well as the principle of strengthening the role and influence of the non-Western world in global affairs, remains quite relevant today, writes Oleg Barabanov.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/history-of-the-formation-of-the-brics-value-platform/

#GlobalAlternatives #BRICS

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1️⃣0⃣0⃣ On October 1, the 39th US President Jimmy Carter celebrated his 100th birthday.

In our opinion, this ex-president personifies a very interesting and, judging by some details, irretrievable bygone era.

An era from which lessons can be learned. Especially if we look back at the turning point, the year 1979, writes Roman Reinhardt.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/jimmy-carter-as-the-symbol-of-a-vanished-era/

#GlobalAlternatives #JimmyCarter #UnitedStates

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🇮🇩🇷🇺 On October 20, the newly elected President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, who had previously served as the country's Minister of Defence, will officially take office.

Already in the period between the elections and the inauguration, Prabowo has demonstrated a great deal of diplomatic activity. He conducted a series of international visits and meetings, including a visit to Russia this summer, where he had a conversation with Vladimir Putin and a meeting at the Ministry of Defence. 

History and historical memory provide us with a good opportunity to strengthen bilateral ties between Russia and Indonesia in today's world, writes Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/prospects-for-indonesian-foreign-policy/

#GlobalAlternatives #Indonesia

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🌍🌐 The expansion of BRICS in 2024 has undoubtedly increased Africa’s weight in international affairs and contributed to the ongoing discussion on the complexities of multipolarity.

As new regional players Egypt and Ethiopia have joined the group, both South Africa and northeast Africa are represented in BRICS, opening possibilities for deeper interstate ties, as well as new financial agreements on the establishment of logistics routes. This could potentially lead to a reduction in financial risks and attract large investments to the region.

Expanding the African presence in BRICS is also seen as beneficial to each BRICS country individually: China and India as the two largest investors in Africa, while Russia as a political force that is interested in moving the world towards multipolarity, and Brazil is a country that has a special historical connection with Africa.

How the objective strengthening of the continent’s global position will correlate with these pragmatic demands and whether there is room for more African voices in BRICS is discussed by Daria Zelenova, Head of the BRICS African Strategy Centre, Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/african-agendas-in-brics-complications/

#GlobalAlternatives #BRICS #BRICS2024

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🇷🇺🇮🇩 The Nusantara Archipelago has long been known to the Russian people.

A merchant from the city of Tver, Afanasy Nikitin, mentioned a mysterious country in Southeast Asia called Shabot in his travel notes “Journey Beyond Three Seas” (1466-1472). According to historians, it could have been one of the kingdoms on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.

Rieke Diah Pitaloka writes on a historical perspective of bilateral relations between Indonesia and Russia.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/a-historical-perspective-of-bilateral-relations/

#GlobalAlternatives #Indonesia

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📆 ANNOUNCEMENT: On November 18 at 12:00 noon Moscow time, the Valdai Club will host a presentation of the Valdai Paper "Russia-Africa: Overcoming Challenges".

Today, Russia is pursuing an active policy of expanding cooperation with African countries. The first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum was held in Sochi on November 9-10. Its participants defined the tasks for the coming years and summed up the first results of the second Russia-Africa summit, which was held in St. Petersburg in 2023. One of the tasks, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, chairman of the plenary session of the forum, is moving away from “dependence on global mechanisms controlled by our Western colleagues”.

Since the first Russia-Africa summit in 2019, the Valdai Club has been engaged in an expert analysis of the main areas of interaction with African states. The new Valdai Paper is devoted to the modern approaches of Russian diplomacy and rich Soviet experience in working on the continent.

❓How successful is Russia's course to return to Africa?
❓What are the priorities of African states in cooperation with Russia?
❓What hinders the development of trade and the flow of Russian investments to Africa?
❓How has the accession of Egypt and Ethiopia affected the BRICS agenda?

The author of the note and the participants of the discussion will try to answer these and other questions.

🎙️ Speakers:

🇷🇺 Vladimir Shubin, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Honorary Doctor of the University of the Western Cape (South Africa), Chief Researcher, Institute of African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (author of the Paper)

🇲🇱 Aliou Tounkara, President of the Russian House in Mali

🇷🇺 Alexander Balezin, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Chief Researcher at the Central Asia Institute, World History Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences

🇪🇹 Dareskedar Taye, Leading Researcher at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia

🇿🇦 Sanusha Naidu, Senior Research Associate, Institute for Global Dialogue, South Africa

🇹🇿 Khoti Chilomba Kamanga, Professor, University of Dar es Salaam

Moderator:

🗣 Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club

https://valdaiclub.com/events/announcements/valdai-club-to-discuss-relations-between-russia-and-africa/

Working languages: Russian, English.

ℹ️ Information for the media: In order to get accredited for the event, please fill out the form on our web site. If you have any questions about the event, please call +79269307763

Links to the live broadcast of the discussion will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the website, X (formerly Twitter), VK, Telegram and Dzen.

#GlobalAlternatives #Africa #RussiaAfrica

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🎥 LIVE: at 12:00 noon Moscow time, the Valdai Club will host a presentation of the Valdai Paper “Russia-Africa: Overcoming Challenges”.

https://vk.com/video-214192832_456239227

#GlobalAlternatives #Africa #RussiaAfrica

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🗣 On November 18, 2024, the Valdai Club hosted a presentation of the Valdai Paper “Russia-Africa: Overcoming Challenges”.

📷 Photo gallery

🎥 Video

#GlobalAlternatives #Africa #RussiaAfrica

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🌍 The Third African Boom and Its Challenges

On November 18, the Valdai Club hosted a presentation of an analytical Paper titled “Russia – Africa: Overcoming Difficulties”. 

💬 Oleg Barabanov, the moderator of the discussion, noted that relations between Russia and Africa are currently on the rise. Russia works with African countries in many areas, including political dialogue, economic cooperation, and cultural and humanitarian ties.

💬 The author, Vladimir Shubin, chief researcher at the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and honorary doctor of the University of the Western Cape (South Africa), lauded the Russia – Africa summit and conference of foreign ministers which was held in Sochi this month, saying “things are not just announced, but also done.” Speaking about the history of Russian-African relations, he pointed out that Russia never really left Africa, but in the 1990s, economic and cultural cooperation suffered greatly. Today, Shubin emphasised, it is not only a matter of memory, but also of serious economic opportunities and similar positions on international issues. Our ties persist despite considerable pressure.

💬 Sanusha Naidu, Senior Research Fellow at the South African Institute for Global Dialogue, briefly outlined some of the problems in relations between Russia and South Africa. It should be noted that relations with the West are still important for South Africa, and this affects the way political science and history are taught there. Despite this, according to Naidu, there is an interesting dynamic in relations with Russia. “We have common goals,” she is convinced.

💬 Aliou Tounkara, President of the Russian House in Mali, pointed out that Russia is a strategic partner for his country, relations with which will definitely continue to develop. The Soviet Union once played a key role in helping Mali gain independence, and the republic has a strong memory of cooperation with it. We should not forget about humanitarian aid from the Russian Federation, as well as educational and cultural cooperation, which remain highly significant.

💬 Dareskedar Taye, Leading Researcher at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, noted that Russian-African relations are determined primarily by the dynamics emanating from Russia. During the Cold War, ties between Russia and Africa were close, but after that, there was a certain decline in relations due to political changes. Now Russia is reconsidering its role on the global stage, and against this background interaction is intensifying again.

💬 Alexander Balezin, Chief Researcher at the Central Asia Institute, at the World History Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, believes that we are currently experiencing a third African boom. At the same time, Russian society has relatively poor knowledge of the African continent. “We need to spread information about Africa more widely,” the expert said.

https://valdaiclub.com/events/posts/articles/the-third-african-boom-and-its-challenges/

#GlobalAlternatives #Africa #RussiaAfrica

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