... In a situation where the entire international system has begun to unwind, a purely protective position of defending the status quo at all costs is unpromising. It will most likely end up with the situation changing spontaneously, or even collapsing.
Russia has never opposed reform of the Security Council, but until recently its proposals were rather ritualistic. Now they are taking on a more concrete form: for example, remarks to the effect that Western countries are already over-represented on the Security Council, so any expansion should not increase that community’s proportional representation. At the same time, we have traditionally expressed the fear that enlargement, and even more so ...
... little more than two decades have passed, and the world has become a very different place. The war on terrorism is no longer the top priority of global politics: it has given way to the more familiar geopolitical confrontation between great powers. Russia and the West,
the United States
and China constantly accuse each other of directly or indirectly supporting terrorist organizations and movements.
Successful joint war on terror involves, among other things, the exchange of more than sensitive information, the ...
... dynamics of certain international problems. That is, in general, it is important from the point of view of communication between our countries, strengthening friendship and relations of privileged comprehensive strategic partnership.
Ivan Timofeev:
Russia-West: Rising Stakes
What are the main factors that will ultimately determine the resolution of the Ukraine crisis and conflict by peaceful means?
This is a complex question because the Ukraine conflict is caused by a whole complex of contradictions that ...
... reached an unprecedented $35 billion. However, this spectacular (2.5 times!) growth became possible almost exclusively due to an explosive increase of Russia’s deliveries of crude oil, as well as of coal and fertilisers to India. In view of the massive Westen economic sanctions and the rapid demise of the Russia-EU strategic energy partnership, Moscow had to sell a lot of its oil to India at heavily discounted prices. On the other hand, the Indian export to Russia did not change in any significant way over the last year—neither in overall numbers, nor ...
... impressive and noteable.
The need to counter Western accusations of Russia’s responsibility for the spike in food prices following Moscow’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal (while conveniently ignoring the fact that promises to Moscow to end the Western blockage of Russia’s agricultural exports were never kept) made the Kremlin go beyond the usual verbal rebuttal. At the summit, Putin not only promised to deliver grain free of charge to five of Africa’s poorest nations, but announced plans to expand commercial ...
... power so far naturally seek to protect the world order, which is natural in its injustice. The creation of an alternative world order is, therefore, not just a technical, but a philosophical task, which is much more difficult to solve than defeating the West in another tactical clash.
Even after Russia succeeds in Ukraine, it would be somewhat naive to expect our adversaries to change their views on the world, since it is tantamount to demanding a change in their philosophy of life.
Russia has traditionally had a difficult relationship with the ...
... military operation against Ukraine was considered by many, including Russia, to be unlikely. Russia was deeply embedded in the global Western-centric economy. Trade interdependence with the EU still remained high. There was no value rejection of the West in Russia, although certain social phenomena and movements were criticised and caused a natural compensation by turning to traditional values. For Moscow, the security of the western borders remained a key issue. Apparently, the Russian authorities proceeded ...
... importance of the issue. After all, we are talking about nuclear weapons, which are associated not just with a breakdown but with a possible end of everything for everyone. It seems that the preemptive use of nuclear weapons will not solve the issues between Russia and the West. It will significantly aggravate Russia’s international position, not to mention the risks of escalation into a full-scale exchange of nuclear strikes using strategic offensive weapons.
The underlying assumption Sergei Karaganov makes in his article ...
...
end of the war can be seen clearly. As long as the war is still going on, all kinds of accidents and losses of control may suddenly break out and turn the whole situation upside
down. The future situation is not optimistic. China’s policies, China–Russia relations,
and relations between China and the West all may yet face new tests and challenges.
Originally published in the China International Strategy Review.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s42533-023-00129-2
Read the full text of the article
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42533-023-00129-2
... West’s vehement, uniform, and massive reaction to the Russian special military operation in Ukraine and NATO’s progressively deeper involvement in the war there has split the universe of Russia’s foreign policy into two very different pieces. West of Russia’s borders, there is a “House of Foes,” composed of the United States, with its Anglo-Saxon retinue, and the countries of Europe, which are—for the first time—formally viewed in Moscow as nothing more than America’s satellites. Depending ...
