But the West is resisting change.Ī Third World War may have already begun, but this time around it does not necessarily involve the use of arms, but rather a whole array of weapons from cyberwar, sanctions, food, energy, etc… Probably a euphemism for the more conservative segments of western societies and the right-wing parties that represent them.Ĭoncerning the future, Moscow sees the world as inevitably and irreversibly moving towards Multipolarity with new “ center's of power “ emerging. Not the elite as President Putin mentioned, but among those who share “ traditional values “ with Russia. Certainly in China and developing countries. This was an important point to emphasize given the setback Moscow suffered at the UN General Assembly recently on the resolutions on Ukraine. In fact, the rubble strengthened by 40 %.Īlso Russia is not isolated. What was referred to as the “ Sanctions Blitzkrieg” from the West has failed to cause the collapse of the economy. It is also optimistic about the future.Īs to the present, the Russian economy has proven to be resilient. Russia is not only confident, but defiant. But more importantly how the government hopes to shape the future. The conference thus provided a window into official Russian thinking about not only how they want the world to view their present domestic situation, but also how Moscow relates to the international situation. President Putin was preceded by a number of senior officials from the government, most notably Foreign Minister Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Novak and Presidential Advisor Oreishkin. He seemed confident, relaxed, and keen to engage in debate with the audience. The only exception was the remote participation of two prominent American academics and a conservative think tanker.Īs is the tradition, President Putin spoke before the conference, spending some four hours, mostly answering questions. Only a handful of academics, mostly Marxist showed up with a nostalgia for the Soviet era. In fact, since 2014 western participation has been steadily declining. So the usual array of experts on Russia from the west shied away. This time round matters were somewhat different coming amidst the Ukraine crisis. Usually, it is an event where participants from around the world converge in Russia, to exchange views with Russian officials and experts on the state of the world and Russia’s role therein. The Valdai Club has just concluded its nineteenth annual conference.
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