... leadership took this into account at the very start of the special military operation and had no intention of falling into the “Clausewitz trap.” This is evident, for example, in the exchange between President Vladimir Putin and Sergei Karaganov—the international relations scholar who initiated the debate on nuclear deterrence—at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June 2024. At that time, the Russian leader
remarked
: “When we see what the Russian character is—what the character of a Russian citizen truly is—when we understand it and rely on it, then we do not need any nuclear weapons to achieve a final victory.” It is therefore logical ...
Russian and Chinese experts discussed current international events and political trends, and exchanged their views on the key challenges for Russia and China in new circumstances
On September 15, 2025, a delegation from the Shanghai Institutes for International ...
... that relations are transitioning to a new framework, and the prospect of entering the next stage, already represent a break in the pattern, given what has transpired over the last three and a half years. What will characterise the next transition in international relations, and what trump cards do its key participants hold?
Ivan Timofeev:
Russia and China in the Era of Trade Wars and Sanctions
The Putin-Trump summit drew a line under the reality that emerged after the start of Russia’s special military operation in February 2022. It had a number of features. First, a high level of consolidation ...
... U-turn in the bilateral relationship became possible only thanks to the personal position of the 47th President of the United States. The changes remain fragile and reversible
At this moment, the main driver of the emerging positive dynamics of the Russian-American dialogue is the personal desire of President Donald Trump to become the main peacemaker in resolving the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. Everything else, including the movement towards normalization of bilateral diplomatic ties, the ...
... Ukraine, a major point of contention, is set to conclude under terms acceptable to Moscow, marking a significant geopolitical victory for Russia.
The restoration of diplomatic ties is a clear signal that the world is moving towards greater realism in international relations. The West’s isolation of Russia has proven unsustainable, and the time has come for a constructive, cooperative approach. As the global balance of power shifts, diplomatic engagement between the U.S. and Russia offers a path to stability, prosperity, and a new era of international ...
... is in a position to approach the external environment as an opportunity rather than as a challenge or a direct threat. This long-awaited shift in the national mentality will undoubtedly be one of the most significant tasks for the new generation of Russia’s political leaders.
First published in the
Horizons
(Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development)
....2021.2020457
Yan Xuetong. (2016). Political leadership and power redistribution.
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, 9(1), 1-26.
https://doi.org/10.1093/cjip/pow002
Dynkin, A.A. (2020). International turbulence and Russia
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, 90(2), 127-137.
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Semenenko, I.S. (2023). Razdelyonnye obshchestva [Divided societies]. In I.S. Semenenko (Ed.),
Identichnost’: lichnost’, obshchestvo,...
... and rivals will be able to conserve resources, and if confrontation is inevitable, will be able to withstand it, emerge victorious, and make use of the results of victory.
Ivan Timofeev:
Trump or Harris: Does it Matter for China?
The current state of international relations demonstrates a steady tendency towards the multiplication of deterrence tasks among the three key global centres of military power—the United States, China and Russia. Each of them has an increasing number of opponents. Moreover, the increase in their number, as well as the degree of confrontation, has its roots in the relatively favourable situation of the 1990s and early 2000s, when Washington, Beijing, and ...
RIAC and Synergia Foundation Report No. 92 / 2024
RIAC and Synergia Foundation Report No. 92 / 2024
Russia — India relations represent an important venue of the emerging multipolar world order. Moscow and New Delhi share a common history, which serves as a basis for the strategic partnership. The two do not hesitate to seize the opportunities of recent ...
... potential outside the PRC. It is based on a view of international relations as a non-zero sum game, the idea of the collectivity of international relations, and a departure from rivalry as the leitmotif of world politics. Modern Chinese political philosophy’s ... ... deterrence. However, political philosophy allows you to maintain the global legitimacy of your influence or to claim it.
Does Russia have its own political philosophy? The answer so far is rather negative. Russia has returned in its foreign policy to the ...
