Russia in Global Affairs

The euro is a young currency that has all chances to make Europe a global player if the problems associated with its “premature birth” are solved in a decisive manner. The fiscal authorities should resort to extraordinary measures in order to accelerate economic growth, reduce unemployment, and boost the continent’s competitiveness.

It would be more logical to recognize only settler colonies as colonies per se and refer to all other results of expansion as dependencies. The loss of colonies is incomparably more dangerous for empires than the loss of dependencies. Trying to hold on to dependencies is meaningless, but to neglect the colonies is reckless.

Siberia should re-evaluate its place and role, and start developing itself as an element of the global economy, similar to what the eastern U.S. states did several decades ago and China’s coastal provinces did recently.

Illusory hopes that new technological possibilities will help create unlimited wealth have never come true. No invention can ensure a life of ease for decades. Of course, the world has changed – but, as the developments of recent years have shown, not to an extent that the established economic patterns should be discarded as worthless. The 21st-century world is a renewed yet still industrial world.

The Soviet Union, contrary to many expectations, survived the year 1984 – one of the last years of the industrial age. But it proved helpless in the new conditions, when the development of post-industrial countries demanded greater flexibility and innovation from the rest of the world. As for Russia, over the years since the end of the Soviet era, it has grown, it looks, richer somewhat, but its basic features have remained Soviet all along.

This century will be neither “American” nor “North Atlantic” – but neither the Americans nor the Europeans or the Russians are interested in seeing the 21st century becoming “Asian” and especially “Chinese.” Today as never before all of them need unity.

A majority of economic institutions in the world today are in a sort of stupor after the powerful blow the crisis delivered in the third and fourth quarters of 2008. But this does not imply that the post-crisis rebound will not be as surprising as the crisis.

The year 2008 will be problematic because the bureaucratic class is divided. One part of the bureaucracy, which has gained control over substantial assets, is ready in principle to formally change the image of bureaucrats for the status of businessmen.

Europe is gradually turning into a kind of a community of personalities, whereas the United States and Russia are consolidating a society of citizens (or even subjects).