Washington still has to muster the art of the chiefdom in the region that used to be the US imperial backyard
The US hosted the Summit of the Americas only once—it was the very first meeting of the forum conveyed in Miami in December of 1994. These were the heydays of the post-Cold War US international hegemony and the US global triumphalism. Not surprisingly, the Clinton administration fully dominated in setting both the specific agenda of the event in Florida and the priorities for the new gathering...
... be assessed as a pinnacle of this bonding. It would be, however,
premature
to call this accord an alliance, let alone a military one. In the ongoing developments, China, on its part, has been struggling to balance on a fine line between avoiding accusations of directly
helping
Russia and sticking to its commitment that a strategic partnership presupposes.
On the conceptual level, neither Russia nor China accept the Indo-Pacific framing used by some regional powers (Australia, Japan and India in ...
... Russian and Ukrainian grain, as well as Russian and Belarusian fertilizers to world markets. The role of international organizations (FAO, G20, BRICS) in ensuring global food security was also discussed. Leading international researchers from China, the USA, Great Britain, Ukraine, and Russia took part in the event. Russian side was represented at the event by Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General.
... Syria that Turkey
closed on April 23
; or else, it may block NATO warships’ passage into the Black Sea no matter how hard NATO tries to push Turkey into revoking its prohibition under various pretexts. Finally, another trump card may be Turkey’s refusal to accede to anti-Russian sanctions.
In the current situation, a conflict with Turkey may turn out to be too costly for Moscow, while direct opposition to Turkey’s plans (primarily if Damascus insists on it) may result in Ankara changing its approaches ...
Moscow should prepare for a long-term stand-off with Washington
The rash decisions to join NATO recently adopted by Helsinki and Stockholm are probably the most vivid illustration of the emerging trend toward a consolidation of the Collective West, with other evidence of this newfound unity among the Western nations after February 24, 2022 seen in plenty.
For instance, the unprecedented sanctions against Moscow were agreed upon at an astonishing speed, just as the programs of military and economic...
The road to peace will be long enough and will be accompanied by extremely dangerous situations
In the event that the acute phase of the conflict in Ukraine really turns out to be very long, which, apparently, is the case, then the elementary needs of survival will force Russia to get rid of what binds it to Europe, Valdai Club Programme Director Timofei Bordachev.
In the event that the growing conflict in and around Ukraine does not lead to irreparable consequences on a global scale in the near...
The West’s anti-China rhetoric and the idea of mounting NATO presence in the Indo-Pacific meet with a critical reception from most Asian states
As the ideological schism in today’s world deepens, the leaders of the liberal camp are ramping up their activities in the regions they have not paid much attention to before. The main purpose of the military, diplomatic, and economic efforts of the Global West is to expand the sphere of influence, preventing their “non-democratic and revisionist” vis-à-vis...
... limited military operation is almost impossible to imagine: To effectively curtail nuclear developments in Iran, the U.S. and their allies would have to conduct a full-scale campaign involving the use of aircraft and missile strikes.
Ivan Timofeev:
USA-Iran: Why Is the Deal Stalled?
In this scenario, the conflict is unlikely to stay solely within Iran’s borders, but will almost inevitable spill over to the entirety of the Middle East with largely unpredictable consequences. Such a war would not ...
Which trends seen in the West reflect Finland’s and Sweden’s possible entry into NATO
Much has been said and written about the likely consequences of Finland and Sweden joining NATO. A legion of analysts have already assessed the changing balance of power in the Baltic Sea, the new situation on the long Finnish-Russian land border as well as the possible implications of such NATO’s expansion for the Arctic. Experts are actively discussing the modalities of Helsinki’s and Stockholm’s practical inclusion...
Q&A by Alexander Gasyuk, Rossiyskaya Gazeta’s foreign affairs correspondent
Jeffrey Sachs
, a renowned Columbia University Professor of economics and former Special Advisor to three UN Secretaries-General, espouses views uncommon for the mainstream media in the West when it comes to the real origins of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Professor Sachs argues that peace negotiations in earnest should start immediately, proceeding from Ukraine’s neutrality and no NATO enlargement. He does not believe...