Central Asia’s Fuel and Energy: Can’t Do Without a Powerbank?

Priceless black gold The oil and oil products sector is more predictable and is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future: Russia supplies hydrocarbons to all Central Asian countries, while of these nations, only Kazakhstan has significant oil reserves (although it does not own most of the extracted oil). In…

Strategic Implications and Regional Dynamics of AI on Modern Warfare for Pakistan

Pakistan’s indigenous AI capabilities, exemplified by its Burraq and Shahpar-II drones, signify its determination to counterbalance India’s advancements. These platforms, while still evolving, have demonstrated the potential to contribute to Pakistan’s broader strategic objectives. Moreover, AI’s utility in countering non-traditional threats — such as cross-border terrorism and hybrid warfare —…

Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Russia and Iran as a Roadmap for Cooperation

On March 24, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Russia and Iran. Moderator Ivan Timofeev described the signing of this treaty as one of the most significant foreign policy developments in recent years. He highlighted the shared interests between Russia and Iran,…

Trump’s Success Expands Orbán’s Room for Manoeuvre

Until then, Hungary will have to endure growing pressure on sovereign forces within the EU, primarily targeting itself. With changes in America, the centre of gravity for progressive globalist politics is shifting to Western Europe by default, complicating the position of patriots. At the same time, Trump’s return has a…

Three Years of Stress Test: Interim Results for Russia

Each party at the negotiating table holds a strong position in its own regard, and neither approaches the dialogue from a place of weakness. Each understands its interests and is ready to engage in discussions about them. It appears to be the first time in a very long while that…

Pakistan-Russia Relations in the New World (Dis)Order: Policy Options

Both Russia and Pakistan are significant in terms of their population size, but their social and economic profiles diverge sharply. Fortunately, in 2023 and 2024, the economic partnership between Pakistan and Russia moved beyond rhetoric into tangible progress. In October 2024, Moscow hosted the inaugural Pakistan-Russia Trade and Investment Forum,…

Nuclear Disarmament. The End of History?

The ongoing negotiations between Russia and the United States on the Ukrainian issue have rekindled hopes for a return to constructive dialogue on other fronts, particularly in the realm of strategic stability and nuclear arms control. To what extent are Moscow and Washington prepared for such dialogue? What political preconditions…

Russian-Chinese Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University

On March 31 – April 1, 2025, the Valdai Discussion Club, in partnership with the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University, will host a Russian-Chinese conference in Shanghai titled “Space of Joint Development: Global and Eurasian Dimensions.” The event will bring together over 60 experts from Russia…

The New ‘Reset’ of US-Russia Relations and Its Possible Prospects

Despite widespread anticipation of possible changes in US-Russia relations in the wake of Trump’s return to power, the shift has been more drastic and rapid than anyone could have imagined, writes Zhao Huasheng in the first installment of his two-part series analyzing the seismic changes in US foreign policy.  Since the Ukrainian crisis, and…

Results of the UN General Assembly vote on Ukraine in February 2025

On February 24, 2025, the UN General Assembly adopted two resolutions on the Ukrainian conflict. On February 17, Ukraine and Poland requested the resumption of the 11th UNGA Special Emergency Session, which had convened after the outbreak of the conflict in February 2022. It last met on the first anniversary…

Iran’s Adaptation Strategies Under Sanction Pressures

Iran currently faces a new wave of challenges that test its strategies. The return of Donald Trump to the White House, Israel's assertive posture in the Middle East, and slow progress on domestic reforms are significant hurdles, writes Daniyal Meshkin Ranjbar. As we reach the culmination of 46 years of sustained…

A Renewed Surge of Interest in Nuclear Energy and the Threat of an Arms Race

On March 10, a discussion on nuclear energy and the outcomes of the IAEA Board of Governors session took place at the Valdai Club in Moscow. The event was moderated by Anton Bespalov, Programme Director of the Valdai Club. Mikhail Ulyanov, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to International Organizations in…

Three Years of Conflict: Results for Ukraine

The list of liabilities, however, is equally significant. First and foremost, Ukraine has suffered enormous human losses. Hundreds of thousands of men have been killed or wounded. The loss of human capital has been exacerbated by the large number of refugees and émigrés, many of whom are reluctant to return.…

The Current Geopolitical Situation in the South Caucasus

The South Caucasus has traditionally been one of the most dynamic regions of Eurasia. As a result of the collapse of the USSR, the former republics of Soviet Transcaucasia have suffered the majority of the region’s ethnopolitical conflicts between de facto states. It was in this region that in August…

Neighbourhood Belt: New Architecture of Foreign Trade and Financial Ties between Russia and Central Asia

Russia's economic cooperation with Central Asian countries is gaining momentum despite expectations of a decline or even a complete rupture in trade and economic relations under the influence of anti-Russian sanctions. At the same time, the sanctions pressure has opened up new opportunities for the establishment of additional sources of…

Cooperation between Central Asia and Russia: New Horizons

Modern processes in the global geopolitical and geoeconomic space indicate that multipolarity is becoming a reality and, in this context, the entire system of international relations is being transformed, Rustam Khaidarzoda writes. The new system of international relations has already affected all countries of the world community. For example, in…

Memories of the Future

This was the title of both the book and the film by the well-known fantasist and, perhaps, adventurer Erich von Däniken. With excessive cleverness, he claimed – and even claimed to prove – that aliens had visited Earth multiple times, exerting a profound influence on the development of humanity. Observing…

Russia and Central Asia: Relations Beyond the ‘Shadow of War’

Relations between Russia and the Central Asian states are a special phenomenon in modern international politics: they are the a product of the interaction of several unique factors that do not require evidence at the conceptual level. This is not because they share a common heritage, dating back to their…

Non-Governmental ‘Russian Houses’ in Africa: Focus on Mali and the Dynamics of Influence

Non-governmental “Russian Houses” are part of the strategy of Rossotrudnichestvo. On the one hand, they are currently becoming an increasingly important instrument of Russia's international influence, and on the other hand, they support the development of friendly countries. Recently, the number of non-governmental "Russian Houses" throughout the world has grown…

The New Global Governance Alternative: Indonesia’s Future Scenario

It is critical to consider Indonesia's new governance agenda under the Prabowo administration and its course of action as the world order shifts from unipolarity to multipolarity. First, Indonesia's foreign policy is being reframed as 'free and active.' This term, in the context of global dynamics, signifies a pragmatic strategy,…

Russia-India: An economic cooperation framework

What would be the best framework for effective Russia-India cooperation? The two countries have built a solid foundation for their cooperation, and have gone to great lengths recently to reach new heights in their relations and ensure that their regulators and institutions back these efforts. However, they have a lot…

Echoes of Wakanda in World Music: Will Africa Become a Laboratory for Unconventional Development?

The strategic future of Africa is not predetermined, and understanding the in-depth factors of prosperity and decline allows us to outline a prognostically probable and original trajectory of its renaissance, writes Nikita Ryabchenko, researcher of international relations and world development (Belarus). The author is a participant of the Valdai – New Generation project.   The…

SCO and the Democratisation of the Global Financial System

Development of digital currencies Aside from the payment systems, digital currencies, including central bank digital currencies (CBDC) and cryptocurrencies, constitute another pillar of the economic resilience of the SCO. China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Russia have already launched CBDC operation and Belarus is in the pilot phase. The SCO is…

Gaza as an Arena for the US Promotion of Middle Eastern Economic Peace

As an attempt to appeal to pan-Arabism, albeit with no international legal basis, Donald Trump's idea of ​​transferring control over the Gaza Strip to the US, in economic respects, resembles past regional initiatives such as those put forward during his first presidential term. In this regard, regardless of the prospects…

Early Elections in Germany and the Global Turn to the Right

On February 20, 2025, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion ahead of the early Bundestag elections, titled “The Phenomenon of Modern Germany: Where Is German Politics Heading?” Fyodor Lukyanov, the moderator of the discussion, noted that the political situation in Europe is currently changing. The era of stable governments…

The Many Faces of Neocolonialism and Modern Africa

On February 19, 2025, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion, titled “Neocolonialism in African Countries: Modern Context”. Moderator Oleg Barabanov, programme director of the club, called the topic of neocolonialism very acute for almost all African countries and emphasised that the solidarity that Russia shows to African countries in…

Value Principles of Cooperation Between Russia and African Countries

Over the past six years, the Russian Federation has significantly intensified its cooperation with African countries and the African Union as a whole. Africa is becoming one of the top priorities in Russian foreign policy. In 2019, the first Russia-Africa summit was held in Sochi. It established a permanent Russia-Africa…

Europe in the Eyes of Asia: Pakistan’s Evolving Perspective Amid Europe’s Internal Changes

The evolving global order has placed Europe and Asia at a crossroads, where mutual perceptions significantly influence bilateral and multilateral relations. Europe, as one of Asia's largest trading partners and a key player in global diplomacy, plays a crucial role in shaping the region’s geopolitical and economic dynamics. Historically seen…

How Europe Is Rewriting the WWII History

Simplification and instrumentalisation of history has devastating effects as once unifying symbols become subjects of discord. We are warned of the dangers ahead and alerted to our responsibility toward the younger and future generations to lead this struggle for History with a capital ‘H’, Jean-Pierre Page writes.   “THAT men…

Brussels Centralism Threatens to Cause Even Greater Economic Damage to Europe

Undermining sovereignty According to certain political elites, Europe’s economy is facing a “state of emergency” due to sanctions against the Russian Federation, energy crisis, the trade war with China and the United States, Trump’s tariffs rhetoric – not to forget the ongoing debt crisis in many of the Member States.…

The Future of Artificial Intelligence: A World Without Secrets?

On February 13, 2025, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion dedicated to the future of artificial intelligence. Anton Bespalov, moderator of the discussion, invited the participants to address the prospects of a technological confrontation between China and the United States and Russia's place in it. Ruslan Yunusov, Co-Founder of…

Why ASEAN Centrality Still Matters

During the second half of the 1990s and the first decade of the 21stcentury, the family of ASEAN-centric institutions expanded to include the ASEAN Regional Forum on Security (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting with Dialogue Partners (ADMM+), the Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF), and…

How Does the Gaza Redevelopment Plan Tie into Maritime Politics?

President Donald Trump has made some intriguing headlines pointing towards the potential plan of the United States of America to take over the Gaza Strip, aiming to transform it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. This plan involves relocating the Palestinian population, a move widely criticised as ethnic cleansing…

Russia’s Asian Pivot – A New Angle for Foreign Diplomacy

Malaysia needs to look beyond the differences and uncertainties which characterise international conflict instead of seeing them as a negative aspect, and seize opportunities to establish global balance in this multipolar world, Abdul Haziq Kongid writes. Malaysia’s role as the ASEAN Chair in 2025 marks a pivotal moment for the region. By prioritising inclusivity, sustainability, economic diversification, and balanced leadership,…

BRICS’ Inclusive Rise and Misplaced Apprehension of the West

At a time when a group of countries relying on an aggressive and expansionist military alliance is pushing humanity towards unbearable destruction, the BRICS nations are striving to ensure a more just, democratic and participatory world order with а vision of delivering everyone general peace and security, shared benefits, and…

Sharp Turns and Continuity in Donald Trump’s Policy

The first steps of US President Donald Trump have provoked a wave of comments, assumptions and guesses. However, according to Konstantin Khudoley, professor at the Faculty of International Relations at St. Petersburg State University, Trump’s policy, which undoubtedly differs from those of his predecessors, is not as unpredictable as it…

The Outlines of a ‘Post-Spring’ Middle East

It is likely that Syria will again become a field of rivalry between the Arabian monarchies. Thus, in the Persian Gulf zone, there is a tendency to establish ties on the internal contour, but at the same time, competition on the external borders is intensifying. This trend is likely to…

The Broader Shift Away from a Unipolar World: Cultivating ASEAN-BRICS Synergy

The contemporary global framework is becoming increasingly fragmented and multipolar - with changes in our geopolitical and economic landscapes expected to further reshape strategies and potentially, alliances. Nevertheless, it still remains deeply interdependent, especially from a socioeconomic perspective. As global dynamics continue to evolve, it is crucial for stakeholders –…