Since the major part of Iran’s trade with Russia takes place with the western, more densely populated part of this country, including the cities of Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Rostov and the North Caucasus, the main route of trade and transit between the two countries necessarily passes through the Republic…
There are even two new BRICS members in this situation: Ethiopia and Egypt, the latter of which, as well as being a BRICS member, is also a member of the NDB, which has another member, Bangladesh, in the same situation. Ethiopia declared a default on its debt services in December…
Politicians in American partner countries are obviously concerned that a new wave of crisis of investor confidence, provoked by the United States, will spread to their jurisdictions. Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak has repeatedly called for countries “to be bolder” in the confiscation of Russian assets; however, the confiscation…
The Second Russian-African Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club was held at a high academic level and aroused wide media interest both in Russia and Tanzania. The African participants of the conference expressed a strong interest in continuing this work. In late July 2024, the Valdai Discussion Club held its…
The reaction of Moscow, Pyongyang and Beijing, voiced essentially in unison by states which are organisationally independent and despite the lack of any special coordination on their part, is not only not accidental, it is quite natural: it reflects a common or very similar vision of strategic threats and challenges…
Cooperation between Russia and African countries in the field of cloud technologies seems quite promising. The fact is that in Africa there is a great need for such cloud technology solutions, since today many government agencies in African countries are forced, for the most part, to use Google’s cloud services,…
Speaking at the Russian Foreign Ministry on June 14, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed the key principles of the security architecture of Eurasia. The idea itself was voiced in the president’s message to the Federal Assembly on February 29. It is highly likely that it will become one of…
A Pyrrhic victory for the left The proportional European elections in June 2024 brought a clear victory to the National Rally (31%, versus just 14% for the President’s party), the main opposition force in France. This was already a very strong signal to abandon the EU at a time when…
This year marks the start of a new period of changes in modern history. We are certainly sailing into unchartered waters in times of a great transition, whereby extra caution must be taken by all nations, big and small, to guide our way forward. Nelson Wong writes on the causes…
Geography is history in space, and history is geography in time. In the context of deglobalisation, the relationships between space and time have become much more complex and interesting. A recent commentary by Natalia Rutkevich drew attention to the profound changes in the territorial organisation of France under the influence…
Any successful development of the Middle Corridor will at best take years and at worst remain uncertain, Franz J. Marty writes. The Middle Corridor, a transport corridor meant to connect China to Europe via Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus, and the Black Sea, has received increasing attention and…
The West, led by the US, has been the main global rule-maker for decades. However, the ‘Rest’ have not been satisfied with the global rules made by the West. In order to address how we must develop an alternative world order, we need to understand the shortcomings of the one…
On July 24, 2024, the Valdai Discussion Club will hold the 2nd African Conference, titled “Russia – Africa: Strategy for Cooperation in a Multipolar World.” The first African conference was held a year ago in St. Petersburg on the eve of the Russia-Africa summit. Now, for the first time, the…
We can assume that the new Iranian president and his pro-reform team will strive to pursue a more balanced foreign policy course; without highlighting any of its directions, it will advance where circumstances allow, without crossing the “red lines” outlined by Iran’s top leadership, Alexander Maryasov writes. The victory of…
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…