... heard precisely from Europe, as has been the case for centuries, and it is there that preparations for armed conflict are most demonstrative.
This rhetoric and practice are primarily aimed at Europe’s immediate neighbour, Russia, but it also affects China, with which Europe, at first glance, has no objective conflicts. This suggests that the source of our neighbours’ explosive behaviour in the West lies in processes occurring within their societies and government systems, as well as the confusion with which modern ...
... development and the creation of a more just world order. It can be recognised that they must begin, first and foremost, with themselves. They must understand how the principle of the legitimacy of order can serve to stabilise the internal situation in Greater Eurasia, where many powers are currently opting for the so-called “multi-vector” cooperation by expanding and strengthening ties with partners whose policies toward Russia or China are, at best, less than friendly. It cannot be ruled out that in the near future, the West’s denial of its most important competitors’ rights to internal sovereignty will force its partners in Eurasia to make difficult choices. They risk tangible ...
... trade.
Some see the EU as a model of regional self-containment – a
“garden,”
to quote one of its more misguided recent metaphors. But even Western Europe’s famed unity has relied heavily on continued openness to the US and, to a lesser degree, China. Only with respect to Russia and the Global South has the EU pursued genuine exclusion. Even then, the strategy remains incomplete and largely rhetorical.
The West’s attempt to encircle itself with legal and institutional
“fences”
has created a fragile enclosure, but one constantly tested by global realities....
... when it comes to a physical threat from an enemy of comparable strength
The very concept of a “security umbrella” is absurd when it comes to a physical threat from an enemy of comparable strength. Since we are far from thinking that a threat to Europe could come from North African countries, China, or the Middle East, the only such enemy is Russia. However, it is linked to the United States by a relationship of strategic deterrence, based on the direct and immediate threat of causing unacceptable damage to each other’s territory and population....
... the US withdraws into isolationism.
In any event, the EU seems to be trapped. What role should it play in the new world order? What does it actually want? Which strategies can it use to avoid being weakened and crushed between East and West, between China and the US? The EU’s current position is anything but advantageous. Is this the advent of the EU’s decline? The decline of the European elites or the EU oligarchy?
The power of transcending forces
Whether we want to believe it or not, they seem to exist, those transcending ...
... global context seek to navigate their own path, without necessarily considering the opinions of major partners if they do not face an immediate threat. The largest among these countries, India, has often pursued policies that have raised concerns among China and even Russia. Nevertheless, the Indian government has not taken any steps to align itself formally with the United States or Europe through alliances. Instead, it remains confident in participating in the BRICS alliance, which is viewed as a potential alternative to Western dominance.
In other words, most countries in the world are not attempting to free themselves from the ...
... to co-develop new concepts, set new goals and objectives, and agree on the forms and methods of their implementation. Greater Eurasia’ - conventionally known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) - could become a platform for creating a new ... ... international security on the scale of a huge continent (or at least most of it). The SCO includes four nuclear powers: Russia, China, India and Pakistan. Another SCO member, Iran, has an advanced nuclear programme. SCO members Russia and China have close ...
... future, Russia behind. However, the European countries still remain the second most significant market for Chinese goods, as well as an important source of investment and technology that China may require. Most major shipping companies dealing with China have European origins, and the ports of Rotterdam and Hamburg handle significant amounts of Chinese cargo.
Therefore, the weakening of China’s economic ties with Europe would certainly be a setback for the Europeans, but it would cause even greater harm ...
... growing giants of international politics, their colossal demographic size in itself puts internal issues in first place. Foreign policy activity fades into the background and is considered only in the context of the internal struggle for unity (Russia, China, India) or the retention of power by elites, who have become practically irreplaceable in recent decades (the USA and the largest European countries).
This objective process has two consequences that are of interest on a theoretical and practical level. First, there is growing confusion among those whose professional responsibility is to talk about international politics. One of ...
Central Asia in the age of digital technologies finds itself between two megaprojects of China and the European Union as the Russian Empire and British Empire in the XIX century competed for this one of the most landlocked regions of the world. The victory of the Russian Empire in this contest decided where the transport lines of Central Asia would be ...
