On July 19, the Valdai Club held an expert discussion dedicated to the 2nd Russian-African Conference, titled “Russia – Africa: A strategy for cooperation in a multipolar world,” which will take place on July 24 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Moderator Oleg Barabanov invited participants to discuss how Russian foreign…
Russia-Africa relations have become more substantive and regular over the past year, with development strategies, plans, roadmaps and summit meetings, that have become regular despite the challenges and plans for annual Russia-Africa ministerial conferences. The range of the key Russian actors in Africa has changed, the list of Russia’s privileged…
In the near future we can expect the normalisation of relations between Turkey and Syria, since this is beneficial and necessary for both parties, writes Murad Sadygzade, President of the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, Head of the Centre for Education and Cooperation of the Institute of Oriental Studies of…
If Armenia wants to take steps to reduce its military and defence obligations to Russia by withdrawing from the CSTO, France has a difficult road ahead filling the military and defence vacuum there, writes Valdai Club expert Vali Kaleji. In his article, Dr. Vali Kaleji, a Tehran-based expert on Central…
The African elites have formed a strong desire to achieve a prominent position both in the global hierarchy and in international trade and the overall distribution of global goods, writes Valdai Club Chairman Andrey Bystritskiy.When we say that the world is beginning to move, and a new world order is…
It is important that efforts be made in a more tangible and practical way to bolster our common humanity should we seek a shared destiny. Drawing upon the uneven distribution of knowledge competences, it could prove useful for the BRICS+ to utilise their capacities and capabilities in science and technology…
Having chosen The Formation of New Centres of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World as its main theme for 2024, the St Petersburg International Economic Forum featured discussions on a wide range of international development matters. The western sanctions against Russia placed food security among the challenges the…
On July 10, 2024, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion, titled “Russia in the World: Results of the Foreign Policy Season 2023-2024”. Moderator Ivan Timofeev called this season quite eventful. He highlighted the emergence of the concept of a Eurasian security structure in Russian foreign policy philosophy, the expansion…
It is now most promising for Russia in Asia to focus on dialogue with individual countries in the region, taking into account the interests of each of them and its own. But strengthening relations at the country level is a matter of painstaking work by diplomats and business, of little…
The results of the parliamentary elections in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2024, were not something unexpected, writes Konstantin Khudoley, head of the Department of European Studies at the Faculty of International Relations at St. Petersburg State University. For many decades, the UK political system has worked like a pendulum,…
On July 9, 2024, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion about the results of the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Russia. Moderator Ivan Timofeev emphasised that this was the first international visit of the Indian leader since he was re-elected. There have been no direct Russian-Indian…
On July 24, 2024, the Valdai Discussion Club will hold its second Russian-African conference, titled “Russia – Africa: A strategy for cooperation in a multipolar world.” It will be held in Africa for the first time - in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania at the Johari Rotana Dar es Salaam hotel…
The fall of the USSR in 1989-91 provoked a sense of omnipotence in the dominant circles of Western capitalism, all the more so as it was preceded by a decade in which neoliberalism triumphantly ascended in the West itself (1980-90), as well as the decline of a series of Third…
Legal regulation of IT by the AU In 2014, the AU approved its own Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection similar to the CE document. The AU was certainly based on the European experience but it also took into consideration its own record and African realities. This explains…
This year, Russia will be hosting the BRICS summit in October in Kazan. Our governmental circles, our ministries and our NGOs are all preparing for the summit. It is considered the key foreign policy event in Russia this year. The top political question, as I personally see it, could be…
On June 28, the Valdai Club held a discussion dedicated to the presidential elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the potential for the development of Iranian-Russian relations. The event was moderated by Timofei Bordachev, Programme Director of the Valdai Club. Vitaly Naumkin, Full Member of the Russian Academy…
On June 27, the Valdai Club hosted a discussion on the confiscation of Russian assets abroad. The moderator, Ivan Timofeev, highlighted that a new development has emerged in this regard. While previously, the emphasis was on freezing assets, the current concern involves the dispossession of property rights. He went on…
The Polish government considers it absolutely necessary to develop NATO’s military presence on the so-called “eastern border”, the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO and the development of the Alliance’s military infrastructure on their territory. In Sikorski’s understanding, it strengthens transatlantic unity and security in the Baltic Sea region.…
In order to understand this phenomenon, it is necessary to think differently and adopt a new approach. The current way of thinking has not been successful in addressing this issue. Furthermore, there is a certain degree of critical blindness with regard to the current situation. This largely reflects the dominant…
The formal basis for Joe Biden’s statements, which organically fit into the logic of the US election struggle, and the start of the investigation was a petition filed by the five largest American trade unions. It lambasts the “unreasonable and discriminatory acts, policies, and practices of the People’s Republic of…
On June 17, the Valdai Club hosted a discussion on the outcomes of the 50th G7 Summit and its significance in terms of global politics. Andrey Sushentsov, moderator of the event, invited participants to consider how developments in international relations are likely to unfold over the months ahead. Dimitri Simes,…
This scenario is quite likely, especially if Russian troops are successful. There are prerequisites for success. The Russian army has clearly seized the initiative and is increasing pressure along the entire front line, expanding it in new directions. It is also important that the Russian proposals clearly look closer to…
The development that OPEC+ will witness will depend in large part on the development of the global system during the coming period, and whether it is favourable or opposed to the grouping of oil-exporting countries. Within this development, the results of the Russian special operation in Ukraine will play a…
It will be significantly easier to the Western world to gradually accept that its resources are finite than it will be for those who currently find the dominance of the United States and Europe unsatisfactory to establish new models of collaboration, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Timofei Bordachev. One of…
A process of reconfiguration is underway globally, with several power centres emerging that seek to gain greater autonomy, space, and protection for their interests. While this process has some negative aspects, such as increasing uncertainty and tension, it can also be seen as an opportunity for development. Some analysts, including…
The Global South has to join such efforts and participate effectively in these procedures to empower them as global stream ends the American monopoly. That would help moving to a more just economic dynamics based on the win-win principle. The exploitation of Global South wealth is no longer possible in…
A significant factor that could lead to escalation and potential direct confrontation between Russia and NATO is the possibility of military deployments of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory. Some Western political figures have discussed the potential for such a scenario, though their views have not been endorsed by the United…
Elections to the European Parliament are not able to resolve the problems and issues that have arisen before the EU in recent years. They are structural in nature and go far beyond the borders of even geographical Europe. The transformation of the political image of the European Parliament will be…
For several decades prior to the current state of affairs, Russia promoted the idea that we must look East. At the same time, however, a significant part (if not most) Russian international trade activity was still connected to the EU. Now the situation has changed (maybe forever), and for Russia…
As part of the business program at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), a session of the Valdai Club took place on June 6. The event’s participants explored the question of whether global and national development can occur without conflict and violence.Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the…
(This is a modified version of an article to be published in the China International Strategy Review) Summary: In 1945, humanity came together to create the Charter International System. It expressed the hope that after the most catastrophic war the world had yet seen, a superior system of international relations…
Last autumn, President Putin outlined Russia’s six tenets of international relations. These can be summarised as developing an interconnected world that accommodates civilizational diversity, equal representation, and a balance of interest. The tenets represent a repudiation of the post-Cold War liberal hegemonic order based on alliances and universalism, in which…
A fault line in the EU member states’ foreign policy is becoming increasingly clear, not only with respect to the Ukraine issue but also in the Gaza conflict. It is about the supremacy of the United States and NATO as well as the role of international organisations. In view of…
While adhering to secular principles, it is still important to support the development of traditional religious schools and promote the education of the clergy themselves. Indeed, often, representatives of the traditional clergy are unable to answer the pressing questions of young people, Marat Abdyldaev writes. Russia and Central Asia face…
, then by the end of the twentieth century and in the 21st century , the reasons for its strengthening were explained, including the sanctions policy. Congress has the power to influence budgetary appropriations, determine the content of legislation and procedures for its implementation, and request reports from executive authorities.…
The main objective of a multilateral international summit is often the preparation of a public statement based on the results of the meeting. This is typically done in the form of either a communiqué issued by the presiding state or a joint statement issued by all participants. As a rule,…
China attempts to delay, to the greatest extent possible, the process of direct conflict with the United States and its allies. This conflict is of a strategic nature, and is linked to simple competition for access to global resources and markets. Meanwhile, Europeans do not have significant stakes in this…
Both Tehran and Jerusalem, while performing political and diplomatic manoeuvres, and, if necessary, demonstrating military capabilities, still strive to refrain from direct confrontation. The regional balance is extremely unstable – and therefore not a single potential scenario should be completely ruled out. Iran-Israel relations have remained extremely tense for several…
There are many, ways to evaluate Africa’s expensiveness in the tech space and determine what drives African development. Conclusions may point to interests in robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and telecommunications. This paper attempts to add to the body of literary commentary on this issue a view of the nature of the…
[After the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, Western pressure on the Republic of Serbia, the Republic of Srpska and all Serbian people on the territory of the former Yugoslavia increased. The fact that the Republic of Serbia has not imposed sanctions against the Russian Federation has contributed…
