💉🦠🌐 The ‘Indian’ strain of coronavirus known as ‘Delta’ has spread to many countries leading to a sharp increase of the third wave of the pandemic.
The peculiarity of this new wave is that it is occuring for the first time since the creation of vaccines against coronavirus. Therefore, in those countries that were able to effectively carry out large-scale vaccination of the population (for example, in the UK, where more than 50% of the population is vaccinated), the third wave, despite the high daily increase in new cases, is accompanied by extremely low mortality.
At the same time, almost all existing vaccines, as their manufacturers admit, provide lower protection against the new Indian strain, since they were created before it appeared.
🟢 The issue of public trust in the government and vaccine developers is becoming the key to successfully overcoming the pandemic.
🔴 The use of administrative levers to increase the rate of vaccination raises the issue of human and civil rights observance with regard to the agenda, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.
#Morality_and_Law @valdai_club
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/vaccines-the-indian-strain-and-human-rights/
The peculiarity of this new wave is that it is occuring for the first time since the creation of vaccines against coronavirus. Therefore, in those countries that were able to effectively carry out large-scale vaccination of the population (for example, in the UK, where more than 50% of the population is vaccinated), the third wave, despite the high daily increase in new cases, is accompanied by extremely low mortality.
At the same time, almost all existing vaccines, as their manufacturers admit, provide lower protection against the new Indian strain, since they were created before it appeared.
🟢 The issue of public trust in the government and vaccine developers is becoming the key to successfully overcoming the pandemic.
🔴 The use of administrative levers to increase the rate of vaccination raises the issue of human and civil rights observance with regard to the agenda, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.
#Morality_and_Law @valdai_club
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/vaccines-the-indian-strain-and-human-rights/
Valdai Club
Vaccines, the Indian Strain and Human Rights
The issue of public trust in the government and vaccine developers is becoming the key to successfully overcoming the pandemic. The use of administrative levers to increase the rate of vaccination raises the issue of human and civil rights observance with…
🇻🇪 It must be admitted that the Maduro government’s position is still highly precarious, given the continuing sanctions and a severe humanitarian crisis in the country. But recently the stars have formed a configuration that favours the Chavista leader.
▪️ The US-supported regional attempts to form a united right-wing front against the Nicolas Maduro government failed, something that can be listed as an undoubted success of the Venezuelan authorities, if not always resulting from their direct efforts.
▪️ Today, Venezuela can rely on the support of two important regional players – Mexico and Argentina – although their positions do not always fully concur.
▪️ Venezuela has gained its right to political sovereignty through much suffering, a right to international political identity. This is a crucial factor enabling it to join the building of a true multipolar world or, to be more precise, a polycentric world order.
It is the common orientation to this goal that underlies Russia’s strategic cooperation with both Venezuela and the rest of the Latin American region, writes Valdai Club expert Dmitry Razumovsky.
#Morality_and_Law @valdai_club
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/venezuela-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel/
▪️ The US-supported regional attempts to form a united right-wing front against the Nicolas Maduro government failed, something that can be listed as an undoubted success of the Venezuelan authorities, if not always resulting from their direct efforts.
▪️ Today, Venezuela can rely on the support of two important regional players – Mexico and Argentina – although their positions do not always fully concur.
▪️ Venezuela has gained its right to political sovereignty through much suffering, a right to international political identity. This is a crucial factor enabling it to join the building of a true multipolar world or, to be more precise, a polycentric world order.
It is the common orientation to this goal that underlies Russia’s strategic cooperation with both Venezuela and the rest of the Latin American region, writes Valdai Club expert Dmitry Razumovsky.
#Morality_and_Law @valdai_club
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/venezuela-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel/
Valdai Club
Venezuela: Light at the End of the Tunnel?
Venezuela has gained its right to political sovereignty through much suffering, a right to international political identity. This is a crucial factor enabling it to join the building of a true multipolar world or, to be more precise, a polycentric world order.…
🇲🇳🇷🇺 This year marks the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Mongolia and Russia.
Since both Mongolia's neighbours today are strategic partners, the vast Eurasian space is a monolithic region for strategic cooperation.
On the basis of such a strong platform in the coming era, mutual relations that arose in the past century, changed the established rules at the geopolitical level and led to changes in the structure of international relations in the region have all the necessary ingredients for expanding growth and development.
The past 100 years of cooperation between Mongolia, Russia, and China in creativity, efficiency and productivity in the sphere of the economy, education, healthcare, research, culture, etc. have surpassed hundreds of years of interaction in the past millennium. Therefore, in the next 100 years the results will surpass everything we have achieved so far, believes Tsogtbaatar Damdin, Member of the Parliament of Mongolia, Head of the Mongolian delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
#Morality_and_Law @valdai_club
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/a-century-that-changed-the-rules/
Since both Mongolia's neighbours today are strategic partners, the vast Eurasian space is a monolithic region for strategic cooperation.
On the basis of such a strong platform in the coming era, mutual relations that arose in the past century, changed the established rules at the geopolitical level and led to changes in the structure of international relations in the region have all the necessary ingredients for expanding growth and development.
The past 100 years of cooperation between Mongolia, Russia, and China in creativity, efficiency and productivity in the sphere of the economy, education, healthcare, research, culture, etc. have surpassed hundreds of years of interaction in the past millennium. Therefore, in the next 100 years the results will surpass everything we have achieved so far, believes Tsogtbaatar Damdin, Member of the Parliament of Mongolia, Head of the Mongolian delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
#Morality_and_Law @valdai_club
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/a-century-that-changed-the-rules/
Valdai Club
A Century That Changed the Rules
The past 100 years of cooperation between Mongolia, Russia, and China in creativity, efficiency and productivity in the sphere of the economy, education, healthcare, research, culture, etc. have surpassed hundreds of years of interaction in the past millennium.…
🪧🌐 The anti-globalisation ideology was based on non-systemic left-wing or left-anarchist ideas.
But this boom of leftist protest, paradoxically, as a model, had a stimulating effect on the growth of non-systemic right-wing protests in many countries. These were also based on the ordinary man’s distrust in the elites and the authorities, but the emphasis was on preserving national identity, on its erosion in the context of globalisation and on global migrant flows, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.
#Morality_and_Law
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/from-anti-globalisation-to-anti-vaccine-movement/
But this boom of leftist protest, paradoxically, as a model, had a stimulating effect on the growth of non-systemic right-wing protests in many countries. These were also based on the ordinary man’s distrust in the elites and the authorities, but the emphasis was on preserving national identity, on its erosion in the context of globalisation and on global migrant flows, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.
#Morality_and_Law
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/from-anti-globalisation-to-anti-vaccine-movement/
Valdai Club
From Anti-Globalisation to Anti-Vaccine Movement: The Evolution of Civil Protests over 20 Years
The anti-globalisation ideology was based on non-systemic left-wing or left-anarchist ideas. But this boom of leftist protest, paradoxically, as a model, had a stimulating effect on the growth of non-systemic right-wing protests in many countries. These were…
🌍 The Balkans are still “nobody's land”.
But now not because the international community doesn’t care about them, but because in the existing coordinate system the Balkans are the “cheapest” figure on the common chessboard of international relations in Europe.
It turns out that the aggravation of the situation instead of regional reconciliation is beneficial, by and large, for the United States, Great Britain and the EU.In case of conflicts and instability, the PRC loses the final section of the Belt and Road project. For Russia, the potential opening of a "third front", not to mention the threat to the energy project, if not unacceptable, then it brings to the brink of a possible resource. In the event of new tension, Turkey finds itself involved not only in the Middle East and Transcaucasian, but also in the Balkan stories.
The new conflict of medium tension, oddly enough, can be successfully used by the diplomacy of the European Union: the ethno-national context easily transforms the new violence in the Balkans into “another confrontation between barbarians”, where the central element in any case are the Serbs, “voluntarily or involuntarily incited by the increased ambitions of Moscow ".
What is happening in the Balkans is a provocation, writes Valdai Club expert Ekaterina Entina.
#Morality_and_Law
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/nobody-s-balkan-land/
But now not because the international community doesn’t care about them, but because in the existing coordinate system the Balkans are the “cheapest” figure on the common chessboard of international relations in Europe.
It turns out that the aggravation of the situation instead of regional reconciliation is beneficial, by and large, for the United States, Great Britain and the EU.In case of conflicts and instability, the PRC loses the final section of the Belt and Road project. For Russia, the potential opening of a "third front", not to mention the threat to the energy project, if not unacceptable, then it brings to the brink of a possible resource. In the event of new tension, Turkey finds itself involved not only in the Middle East and Transcaucasian, but also in the Balkan stories.
The new conflict of medium tension, oddly enough, can be successfully used by the diplomacy of the European Union: the ethno-national context easily transforms the new violence in the Balkans into “another confrontation between barbarians”, where the central element in any case are the Serbs, “voluntarily or involuntarily incited by the increased ambitions of Moscow ".
What is happening in the Balkans is a provocation, writes Valdai Club expert Ekaterina Entina.
#Morality_and_Law
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/nobody-s-balkan-land/
Valdai Club
Nobody’s Balkan Land?
The act of Valentin Inzko a week before the end of the mandate is, unfortunately, likely to represent a new stage in the modern history of Bosnia and Herzegovina and all the Balkans, writes Valdai Club expert Ekaterina Entina. They are still a “nobody’s land”…
🌐 The world is experiencing a transitional phase characterised by risks and new opportunities.
Multilateralism can repeat, mutatis mutandis, the logic of the Treaty of Westphalia of 1648; alternatively it can accelerate the process of integration at the international level, according to the logic of The Federalist Papers, written in 1788 by Hamilton, Jay and Madison.
The processes underway are accelerating more rapidly than expected. The alternative between a multilateralism that produces tensions and wars and a peaceful multilateralism based on collaboration and innovative forms of integration is destined to take a dramatic turn if far-sighted decisions are not taken in good time.
The design conceived by Roosevelt’s heirs at the end of the Second World War was a great US - Europe – Russia alliance. This design was shelved due to the development of the Cold War. A possible initiative today can be constituted by the resumption in renewed forms of an alliance between the USA - Europe - Russia, which has its roots in secular history and from the union that allowed the victory against Nazism.
The convergence between these three great countries would constitute a fundamental contribution to the construction of a more peaceful international order, writes Dario Velo, Full Professor of Pavia University.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-development-of-a-peaceful-multipolar-order/
#Morality_and_Law #worldorder #multipolarity #Europe @valdai_club
Multilateralism can repeat, mutatis mutandis, the logic of the Treaty of Westphalia of 1648; alternatively it can accelerate the process of integration at the international level, according to the logic of The Federalist Papers, written in 1788 by Hamilton, Jay and Madison.
The processes underway are accelerating more rapidly than expected. The alternative between a multilateralism that produces tensions and wars and a peaceful multilateralism based on collaboration and innovative forms of integration is destined to take a dramatic turn if far-sighted decisions are not taken in good time.
The design conceived by Roosevelt’s heirs at the end of the Second World War was a great US - Europe – Russia alliance. This design was shelved due to the development of the Cold War. A possible initiative today can be constituted by the resumption in renewed forms of an alliance between the USA - Europe - Russia, which has its roots in secular history and from the union that allowed the victory against Nazism.
The convergence between these three great countries would constitute a fundamental contribution to the construction of a more peaceful international order, writes Dario Velo, Full Professor of Pavia University.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-development-of-a-peaceful-multipolar-order/
#Morality_and_Law #worldorder #multipolarity #Europe @valdai_club
Valdai Club
The Development of a Peaceful Multipolar Order
In recent decades, the international order has undergone profound changes. The leadership of the U.S.A. and Russia, affirmed since the Second World War, has been joined with increasing importance by new states: China, the nations of the European Union, India…
🧱🌐 Is the Berlin Wall destined to be reborn (or is already being reborn) in a new form in the modern world or not?
August 13, 2021, marks the 60th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall - perhaps the most famous symbol of the Cold War.
Of course, today's conflicts do not correspond to that idealised and even romantic image of a "chivalrous" Cold War.
❓Is a geopolitical confrontation even possible without the Berlin Wall, if everything collapses without the wall?
In the 21st century, there can be a "cyber wall", an Internet firewall or the wall of an information monopoly, or a vaccine wall, or a doping wall (against the background of the past Olympics), or a visa wall, or something else.
The global chessboard differs from ordinary chess in that you can build walls between the cells, Oleg Barabanov, programme director of the Valdai Discussion Club.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-berlin-wall-and-the-ethics-of-the-cold-war/
#Morality_and_Law @valdai_club
August 13, 2021, marks the 60th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall - perhaps the most famous symbol of the Cold War.
Of course, today's conflicts do not correspond to that idealised and even romantic image of a "chivalrous" Cold War.
❓Is a geopolitical confrontation even possible without the Berlin Wall, if everything collapses without the wall?
In the 21st century, there can be a "cyber wall", an Internet firewall or the wall of an information monopoly, or a vaccine wall, or a doping wall (against the background of the past Olympics), or a visa wall, or something else.
The global chessboard differs from ordinary chess in that you can build walls between the cells, Oleg Barabanov, programme director of the Valdai Discussion Club.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-berlin-wall-and-the-ethics-of-the-cold-war/
#Morality_and_Law @valdai_club
Valdai Club
The Berlin Wall and the Ethics of the Cold War
August 13, 2021, marks the 60th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall - perhaps the most famous symbol of the Cold War. This anniversary, in addition to its undoubted historical significance, also provides an opportunity for us to re-focus on…
💉 A situation is emerging where vaccination has been transformed from a private choice into a mobilisation tool of the state to combat the pandemic.
Over the past month, more and more countries have begun to announce mandatory vaccination against coronavirus for certain segments of the population, usually associated with certain professions. As a rule, those obliged to get vaccinated work in management, the service sector (food, trade, transport), etc. Also, in many cases, compulsory vaccination has affected higher education — both teachers and students. To what extent this measure violates human rights (the right to work, the right to education, the right to an informed choice in the field of health care) is debatable and complex, although in fact, it’s a simple question. Obviously there is a violation. The essence of the matter is only in the balance between the interests of the whole society and/or the state, on the one hand, and human rights, on the other.
There are different lists of approved vaccines in different countries, which do not always coincide with each other. Accordingly, the world has not developed a homogeneous global vaccine space from a legal point of view. This has already found its reflection in vaccine passports, and in introducing them, states recognise some vaccines and do not recognise others.
Another aspect of the same problem has been the dramatic changes to the visa and entry policies of a number of states. This has a serious negative impact on the restoration of global mobility, both in the tourism and business sectors and in the cross-border labor market, as it discourages foreign workers from entering or returning to the country where they used to work.
Accordingly, the vaccine is becoming an instrument of restrictive migration policy, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.
#Morality_and_Law #vaccination
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/mandatory-identification-and-human-rights/
Over the past month, more and more countries have begun to announce mandatory vaccination against coronavirus for certain segments of the population, usually associated with certain professions. As a rule, those obliged to get vaccinated work in management, the service sector (food, trade, transport), etc. Also, in many cases, compulsory vaccination has affected higher education — both teachers and students. To what extent this measure violates human rights (the right to work, the right to education, the right to an informed choice in the field of health care) is debatable and complex, although in fact, it’s a simple question. Obviously there is a violation. The essence of the matter is only in the balance between the interests of the whole society and/or the state, on the one hand, and human rights, on the other.
There are different lists of approved vaccines in different countries, which do not always coincide with each other. Accordingly, the world has not developed a homogeneous global vaccine space from a legal point of view. This has already found its reflection in vaccine passports, and in introducing them, states recognise some vaccines and do not recognise others.
Another aspect of the same problem has been the dramatic changes to the visa and entry policies of a number of states. This has a serious negative impact on the restoration of global mobility, both in the tourism and business sectors and in the cross-border labor market, as it discourages foreign workers from entering or returning to the country where they used to work.
Accordingly, the vaccine is becoming an instrument of restrictive migration policy, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.
#Morality_and_Law #vaccination
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/mandatory-identification-and-human-rights/
Valdai Club
Mandatory Vaccination and Human Rights
A situation is emerging where vaccination has been transformed from a private choice into a mobilisation tool of the state to combat the pandemic, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.
🇮🇷🇦🇫 Tehran has not yet worked out a solution and cannot answer the main question for itself: is it worth recognising the Taliban at all?
The capture of Kabul and the establishment of Taliban power over virtually the entire territory of Afghanistan have added another batch of headaches to Iran’s problems.
While Iran has officially welcomed the withdrawal of the Americans from its neighbour to the east, in reality, not everyone in Iran is delighted with the current situation, since they do not fully understand how to interact with the Taliban in Kabul and what, in principle, Iranian-Afghan relations will be like in the medium term, writes Valdai Club expert Farhad Ibrahimov.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/iran-s-policy-toward-the-taliban/
#Morality_and_Law #Taliban #Iran #Afghanistan
@valdai_club
The capture of Kabul and the establishment of Taliban power over virtually the entire territory of Afghanistan have added another batch of headaches to Iran’s problems.
While Iran has officially welcomed the withdrawal of the Americans from its neighbour to the east, in reality, not everyone in Iran is delighted with the current situation, since they do not fully understand how to interact with the Taliban in Kabul and what, in principle, Iranian-Afghan relations will be like in the medium term, writes Valdai Club expert Farhad Ibrahimov.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/iran-s-policy-toward-the-taliban/
#Morality_and_Law #Taliban #Iran #Afghanistan
@valdai_club
Valdai Club
Iran’s Policy Toward the Taliban
Tehran has not yet worked out a solution and cannot answer the main question for itself: is it worth recognising the Taliban at all? However, what the Islamic Republic of Iran is exactly interested in is establishing a constructive dialogue with the Taliban…
🦠 If we draw an analogy between the mutations of the coronavirus and the mutations of the influenza virus, then from a purely logical point of view it will be necessary to say that the world is waiting for a chronic pandemic of the coronavirus, that this pandemic will always exist.
It will erupt and fade, just like flu epidemics, but it will always be.
At least until the moment when some new virus replaces Covid-19, as Covid itself has practically pushed the influenza virus out of the global population.
And if there is always an epidemic, then it is clear that introducing lockdowns forever, with each new outbreak happening 2-3 times a year, is by no means an option. Therefore, humanity must learn to live with this chronic pandemic, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/chronic-pandemic-or-how-to-deal-with-prtognoses/
#Morality_and_Law #pandemic #Covid19
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
It will erupt and fade, just like flu epidemics, but it will always be.
At least until the moment when some new virus replaces Covid-19, as Covid itself has practically pushed the influenza virus out of the global population.
And if there is always an epidemic, then it is clear that introducing lockdowns forever, with each new outbreak happening 2-3 times a year, is by no means an option. Therefore, humanity must learn to live with this chronic pandemic, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/chronic-pandemic-or-how-to-deal-with-prtognoses/
#Morality_and_Law #pandemic #Covid19
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
Valdai Club
Chronic Pandemic or How to Deal With Medical Prognoses
It’s becoming obvious for a simple non-physician that the key task of the medical and pharmaceutical community around the world should now be the development of a new version of the vaccines that can protect against new strains of coronavirus that have appeared…
⚖️🌐 The universality of values: is it possible or is it just an illusion?
Traditionally, within the framework of the Westphalian model of the world, the interests of states were regulated by international law. Interstate treaties made it possible to fix the achieved interests and put a barrier in the way of too-ambitious interests which were unacceptable to others. One of these interests, shared by many countries, is, for example, the legal principle of non-interference in internal affairs, enshrined in the UN Charter.
At the same time, the established international law often became an obstacle precisely in the way of the realisation of values, since the task of promoting values abroad presupposes, first of all, the need for intervention in the affairs of other states and societies, directly or indirectly.
As a result, a discussion unfolded that "the laws of 1945" are out-dated with respect to the value challenges of the 21st century, that the out-dated right contradicts morality and therefore must be replaced and supplanted by morality. The notion that there is a moral duty to protect values has become an argument that legalises interference in the affairs of others, even if the law does not allow it.
👉 It seems that this trend will continue to develop, writes Oleg Barabanov, programme director of the Valdai Discussion Club.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/values-and-interests-in-world-politics/
#Morality_and_Law
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
Traditionally, within the framework of the Westphalian model of the world, the interests of states were regulated by international law. Interstate treaties made it possible to fix the achieved interests and put a barrier in the way of too-ambitious interests which were unacceptable to others. One of these interests, shared by many countries, is, for example, the legal principle of non-interference in internal affairs, enshrined in the UN Charter.
At the same time, the established international law often became an obstacle precisely in the way of the realisation of values, since the task of promoting values abroad presupposes, first of all, the need for intervention in the affairs of other states and societies, directly or indirectly.
As a result, a discussion unfolded that "the laws of 1945" are out-dated with respect to the value challenges of the 21st century, that the out-dated right contradicts morality and therefore must be replaced and supplanted by morality. The notion that there is a moral duty to protect values has become an argument that legalises interference in the affairs of others, even if the law does not allow it.
👉 It seems that this trend will continue to develop, writes Oleg Barabanov, programme director of the Valdai Discussion Club.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/values-and-interests-in-world-politics/
#Morality_and_Law
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
Valdai Club
Values and Interests in World Politics
There is not only one-way traffic between values and interests. Not only values as a basic category define interests as a more applied category. On the contrary, interests also influence values; they shape and reform them. Sometimes they completely alter…
👥🌐 Migration and migrants are now widely perceived as risks.
In many countries, anti-migration sentiments and xenophobia had for long been on the rise. This spurred a securitisation of migration and the pandemic added concerns over health security to this already strong trend.
This is fuelled by the climate crisis which has already been raising doubts over the future of extensive driving, flying and traveling as is so typical for our hyper-mobile era; the pandemic further accelerated this trend.
Also the rise of authoritarian ruling had been noticed in many parts of the world and the pandemic only spurred this trend.
It is remarkable that liberal and authoritarian states around the globe alike turned to ultra-radical policy measures and largely outlawed fundamental liberties including the right to leave one’s country, city or even home, at least temporarily, not seen since the exceptional times of martial law, the Chinese Hukou system or the Soviet era, writes Franck Düvell, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies, Osnabrück University.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-pandemic-and-international-migration/
#Morality_and_Law #migration #migrants #pandemic
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
In many countries, anti-migration sentiments and xenophobia had for long been on the rise. This spurred a securitisation of migration and the pandemic added concerns over health security to this already strong trend.
This is fuelled by the climate crisis which has already been raising doubts over the future of extensive driving, flying and traveling as is so typical for our hyper-mobile era; the pandemic further accelerated this trend.
Also the rise of authoritarian ruling had been noticed in many parts of the world and the pandemic only spurred this trend.
It is remarkable that liberal and authoritarian states around the globe alike turned to ultra-radical policy measures and largely outlawed fundamental liberties including the right to leave one’s country, city or even home, at least temporarily, not seen since the exceptional times of martial law, the Chinese Hukou system or the Soviet era, writes Franck Düvell, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies, Osnabrück University.
https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-pandemic-and-international-migration/
#Morality_and_Law #migration #migrants #pandemic
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
Valdai Club
The Pandemic and International Migration: Exploiting the Healthcare Crisis to Reform Mobility Governance
It is remarkable that liberal and authoritarian states around the globe alike turned to ultra-radical policy measures and largely outlawed fundamental liberties including the right to leave one’s country, city or even home, at least temporarily, not seen…
🎓🌐 One of the major issues in today’s global social dynamics is the brain drain.
It existed earlier, but in the era of globalisation and with the creation of a cross-border labour market, it acquired a special dimension. The problem of the brain drain is of great importance for Russia as well.
There is an obvious paradox that states need the brains of intellectuals, but the intellectuals are more difficult to be kept under control.
And the reaction to it can be manifested in various methods of social engineering, one of which can be called a strategy of lumpenisation, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.
🔗 Brain Drain and Higher Education Abroad
#Morality_and_Law #braindrain #highereducation
📷 © Reuters
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
It existed earlier, but in the era of globalisation and with the creation of a cross-border labour market, it acquired a special dimension. The problem of the brain drain is of great importance for Russia as well.
There is an obvious paradox that states need the brains of intellectuals, but the intellectuals are more difficult to be kept under control.
And the reaction to it can be manifested in various methods of social engineering, one of which can be called a strategy of lumpenisation, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.
🔗 Brain Drain and Higher Education Abroad
#Morality_and_Law #braindrain #highereducation
📷 © Reuters
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
💬🌐 Joe Biden's widely announced Summit for Democracy is scheduled for the end of the year. It is not difficult to assume that China and Russia will become the main targets for criticism there.
Therefore, an attempt to carry out counterplay in this field looks quite natural. It also reveals the broader context of the creation and consolidation of a kind of united front of China and Russia in the face of growing pressure from the United States. This united front can be called anti-Western or, if you will, anti-imperialist, although the terms are debatable.
If such a united front is taken as a given of modern world politics, then it is logical that China and Russia should form their own coordinated value and ideological narrative, including the issues of democracy (why not), in spite of the implicit paradox of this approach. In addition, the recent failure of the United States to promote democracy in Afghanistan provides additional evidence for this.
The plus for Russia and China is that they do not ask the presidents of other countries questions about how their elections were held, how they observe freedom of speech and how they treat their domestic political opponents. This means non-interference in internal affairs: a principle that has not yet been erased from the UN Charter and international law.
❓ How do the values of democracy affect the sovereignty of states and what are the limits of sovereignty in the context of a global value policy?
❓ Can non-Western (and actively criticised by the West) countries conduct a discourse on democracy?
👉 Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Club, writes about this.
🔗 Non-Western Democracy and Its Interpretation
#Morality_and_Law #democracy #West #China #Russia
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
Therefore, an attempt to carry out counterplay in this field looks quite natural. It also reveals the broader context of the creation and consolidation of a kind of united front of China and Russia in the face of growing pressure from the United States. This united front can be called anti-Western or, if you will, anti-imperialist, although the terms are debatable.
If such a united front is taken as a given of modern world politics, then it is logical that China and Russia should form their own coordinated value and ideological narrative, including the issues of democracy (why not), in spite of the implicit paradox of this approach. In addition, the recent failure of the United States to promote democracy in Afghanistan provides additional evidence for this.
The plus for Russia and China is that they do not ask the presidents of other countries questions about how their elections were held, how they observe freedom of speech and how they treat their domestic political opponents. This means non-interference in internal affairs: a principle that has not yet been erased from the UN Charter and international law.
❓ How do the values of democracy affect the sovereignty of states and what are the limits of sovereignty in the context of a global value policy?
❓ Can non-Western (and actively criticised by the West) countries conduct a discourse on democracy?
👉 Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Club, writes about this.
🔗 Non-Western Democracy and Its Interpretation
#Morality_and_Law #democracy #West #China #Russia
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
Valdai Club
Non-Western Democracy and Its Interpretation
The issues of democracy and its interpretation are now among the most acute in international relations. They are closely related to the issue of values and value policy. The key disagreement revolves around whether or not the perception of democracy should…
👑 We live on the ruins of two empires — the Russian Empire and the USSR, writes Valdai Club expert Alexei Miller.
November 2, 2021, marked 300 years since the day when Peter I proclaimed himself emperor, and Russia — an empire. In the same years, the concept of “nation” entered the Russian language and began its varied adventures. In Peter the Great’s time, the word “nation” was used almost as a synonym for empire, as a designation for sovereign polity. In this sense, there was no tension between these concepts.
we can say that in the next 300 years, the concepts of empire and nation had a very complex relationship and were used to discuss several important topics for Russia, which in many ways remain relevant today. First, this concerns the topic of relations between Russia and Europe.
In Europe, Peter’s Russia was viewed as a “barbarian at the gates” or as an “apprentice”. Russian elites easily agreed with the status of a student until they realised that they were going to be kept in this status forever, with the Europeans always being “mentors”. Then they began to listen with interest to arguments about the “decline of Europe”.
🔗 The 300th Anniversary of the Russian Empire
#Morality_and_Law #RussianEmpire #history
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
November 2, 2021, marked 300 years since the day when Peter I proclaimed himself emperor, and Russia — an empire. In the same years, the concept of “nation” entered the Russian language and began its varied adventures. In Peter the Great’s time, the word “nation” was used almost as a synonym for empire, as a designation for sovereign polity. In this sense, there was no tension between these concepts.
we can say that in the next 300 years, the concepts of empire and nation had a very complex relationship and were used to discuss several important topics for Russia, which in many ways remain relevant today. First, this concerns the topic of relations between Russia and Europe.
In Europe, Peter’s Russia was viewed as a “barbarian at the gates” or as an “apprentice”. Russian elites easily agreed with the status of a student until they realised that they were going to be kept in this status forever, with the Europeans always being “mentors”. Then they began to listen with interest to arguments about the “decline of Europe”.
🔗 The 300th Anniversary of the Russian Empire
#Morality_and_Law #RussianEmpire #history
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
Valdai Club
The 300th Anniversary of the Russian Empire
We live on the ruins of two empires — the Russian Empire and the USSR, writes Valdai Club expert Alexei Miller. We have inherited, as the pillars of our collective identity, an unyielding desire to preserve our sovereignty and great power status. From the…
❓💬 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.
🔗 Day for Tolerance: Is Tolerance Possible for All?
#Morality_and_Law #tolerance #society
📷 ©Reuters
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
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.
🔗 Day for Tolerance: Is Tolerance Possible for All?
#Morality_and_Law #tolerance #society
📷 ©Reuters
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
🇪🇺🧩A glance at a map of Europe is enough to allow one to grasp how two enclaves, a cluster of Balkan countries and Switzerland, stand out within European Union’s borders.
Behind these anomalies are two different stories:
👉 Switzerland is deeply integrated into the European Union; not a member state because at the last referendum, membership was rejected through the resolute vote of farmers fearful of losing the privileges afforded them by the Swiss Confederation.
👉 The situation in the Balkan countries is different. There are historic legacies, as well as religious and political problems. Some Balkan states see NATO membership as an essential condition guaranteeing their defence.
The enlargement of the European Union to all the Balkan countries offers an opportunity. Without a great plan, enlargement could prove to be a failure and fuel tensions, including military ones, writes Dario Velo, Full Professor of Pavia University.
🔗 The Enlargement of the European Union to the Balkan Countrie: An Opportunity for a Great Plan Between Russia and Europe
#Morality_and_Law #Europe #Balkans #EU
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
Behind these anomalies are two different stories:
👉 Switzerland is deeply integrated into the European Union; not a member state because at the last referendum, membership was rejected through the resolute vote of farmers fearful of losing the privileges afforded them by the Swiss Confederation.
👉 The situation in the Balkan countries is different. There are historic legacies, as well as religious and political problems. Some Balkan states see NATO membership as an essential condition guaranteeing their defence.
The enlargement of the European Union to all the Balkan countries offers an opportunity. Without a great plan, enlargement could prove to be a failure and fuel tensions, including military ones, writes Dario Velo, Full Professor of Pavia University.
🔗 The Enlargement of the European Union to the Balkan Countrie: An Opportunity for a Great Plan Between Russia and Europe
#Morality_and_Law #Europe #Balkans #EU
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
Valdai Club
The Enlargement of the European Union to the Balkan Countrie: An Opportunity for a Great Plan Between Russia and Europe
The enlargement of the European Union to all the Balkan countries offers an opportunity. Without a great plan, enlargement could prove to be a failure and fuel tensions, including military ones, writes Dario Velo, Full Professor of Pavia University.
💸⛔️ Bureaucratic formalism in the fight against corruption has a number of negative effects.
One of them is presumption of indiscriminate guilt against all civil servants. Despite the fact that most of them are doing their duty with complete honesty, all of them are essentially under suspicion.
The control mechanisms established by anti-corruption laws in many countries in relation to civil servants, especially at the lower rungs of the career ladder, can sometimes be frankly redundant, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.
🔗 International Anti-Corruption Day: Reality or Imitation
#Morality_and_Law #corruption
📷 ©Reuters
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
One of them is presumption of indiscriminate guilt against all civil servants. Despite the fact that most of them are doing their duty with complete honesty, all of them are essentially under suspicion.
The control mechanisms established by anti-corruption laws in many countries in relation to civil servants, especially at the lower rungs of the career ladder, can sometimes be frankly redundant, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.
🔗 International Anti-Corruption Day: Reality or Imitation
#Morality_and_Law #corruption
📷 ©Reuters
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
⚖️🌐 In 2021, the coronavirus pandemic continued to be one of the most important events.
Naturally, its influence on world politics and society remained the main focus of the Valdai Discussion Club experts.
In addition to the pandemic, the climate agenda has become the most important event of 2021. The COP-26 Summit in Glasgow in October-November was at the centre of global interest, sparking a heated debate in the world regarding the strategy and pace of green transformation.
A separate large topic of the Club’s work was the impact of the pandemic on international migration, on the value and ethical perception of global migrants, and on the dynamics of migrant phobia in host societies.
The politics of historical memory in recent years has become one of the key topics in the expert work of the Club. Its analysis was continued this year as well.
👉 All these topics (the pandemic, climate and history) directly affect the evolution of values and moral norms in today’s global society, writes Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.
🔗 Pandemic and Climate, History and Values: Results of the Valdai Club Expert Programme
#Morality_and_Law #Valdai_WrapUp2021 #pandemic #climatechange #migration
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
Naturally, its influence on world politics and society remained the main focus of the Valdai Discussion Club experts.
In addition to the pandemic, the climate agenda has become the most important event of 2021. The COP-26 Summit in Glasgow in October-November was at the centre of global interest, sparking a heated debate in the world regarding the strategy and pace of green transformation.
A separate large topic of the Club’s work was the impact of the pandemic on international migration, on the value and ethical perception of global migrants, and on the dynamics of migrant phobia in host societies.
The politics of historical memory in recent years has become one of the key topics in the expert work of the Club. Its analysis was continued this year as well.
👉 All these topics (the pandemic, climate and history) directly affect the evolution of values and moral norms in today’s global society, writes Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.
🔗 Pandemic and Climate, History and Values: Results of the Valdai Club Expert Programme
#Morality_and_Law #Valdai_WrapUp2021 #pandemic #climatechange #migration
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
Valdai Club
Pandemic and Climate, History and Values: Results of the Valdai Club Expert Programme
In 2021, the coronavirus pandemic continued to be one of the most important events. Naturally, its influence on world politics and society remained the main focus of the Valdai Discussion Club experts.
🇩🇪🌐 The German “traffic light” coalition government assumed its duties last month, entering a highly volatile international security and arms control landscape.
Though the coalition agreement is only a first starting point for Germany’s future foreign policy, the contours of Berlin’s approach to nuclear arms control appear fairly clear: While the new government will support legacy initiatives to bolster nuclear disarmament, and plans to observe the upcoming Meeting of States Parties (MSP) of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), U.S.-Russian bilateral talks continue to be viewed as the principal vehicle for reducing non-strategic nuclear weapons (NSNW) in Europe.
Scaremongers predicting abrupt departures in Berlin’s approach to nuclear arms control and deterrence got it wrong. The government’s coalition agreement emphasizes continuity over change, writes Valdai Club expert Hanna Notte.
#Morality_and_Law #Germany
🔗 Berlin Continues to Look to Moscow and Washington for Major Strides in Nuclear Arms Control
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
Though the coalition agreement is only a first starting point for Germany’s future foreign policy, the contours of Berlin’s approach to nuclear arms control appear fairly clear: While the new government will support legacy initiatives to bolster nuclear disarmament, and plans to observe the upcoming Meeting of States Parties (MSP) of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), U.S.-Russian bilateral talks continue to be viewed as the principal vehicle for reducing non-strategic nuclear weapons (NSNW) in Europe.
Scaremongers predicting abrupt departures in Berlin’s approach to nuclear arms control and deterrence got it wrong. The government’s coalition agreement emphasizes continuity over change, writes Valdai Club expert Hanna Notte.
#Morality_and_Law #Germany
🔗 Berlin Continues to Look to Moscow and Washington for Major Strides in Nuclear Arms Control
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
Valdai Club
Berlin Continues to Look to Moscow and Washington for Major Strides in Nuclear Arms Control
Scaremongers predicting abrupt departures in Berlin’s approach to nuclear arms control and deterrence got it wrong. The government’s coalition agreement emphasizes continuity over change, writes Valdai Club expert Hanna Notte.