Russia in Global Affairs

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RSCI Scopus

No. 3

2015 July/September

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Contents

Fyodor A. Lukyanov

Geopolitical Blueprints

Contours of an Alarming Future

Andrei O. Bezrukov, Andrei A. Sushentsov

Marxism in the Post-Globalization Era

Boris Kagarlitsky

The New Atlanticism

Nations and Empires: Interests and Policies

National Interest as a Cultural Issue

Relapses of 19th-Century Imperialist Policies

Sultan Akimbekov

Documents and Life

Alexander E. Konkov

School of Hard Knocks

World War II in European Memory

The Ukrainian Lesson

Vladimir Tchernega

When a Crisis Never Ends

Sergej Pavlenko

Change of Vector

Staying On Track

Russia’s Eastern Gambit

Salvatore Babones

Sinology on the Silk Road

Konstantin Ilkovsky

Erosion of Security

The Missed History Classes

Pavel Zolotarev

“The Greatest Caution and Prudence”

The Glass Menagerie of Non-Proliferation

The Game of Rules

Oleg Demidov, Elena Chernenko

Articles

Two important anniversaries celebrating major diplomatic accomplishments are marked in the summer and fall of 2015 – the 70th anniversary of the United Nations Organization and the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. The former laid the foundation for the postwar world order; the latter formalized its core element – the European order.

Fyodor A. Lukyanov

Contours of an Alarming Future

If Russia holds out until 2020 and all attempts by its enemies to bring it to economic collapse, chaos, and disintegration fail, then we can be certain that the era of Western dominance has ended. Thus, international relations will officially enter a new era.

Andrei O. Bezrukov, Andrei A. Sushentsov

Marxism in the Post-Globalization Era

The global crisis that started in 2008 signaled the end of the era of neoliberal globalization but not the end of the processes it engendered. We can move forward, using the theoretical legacy left to us by the great thinkers of the Enlightenment and the ideologists of the liberation movement. Like it or not, Karl Marx remains the greatest of them.

Boris Kagarlitsky

The New Atlanticism

The emergence of the new Atlanticism represents a shift in the meaning of ‘the West’. The traditional pluralism and capaciousness of the concept is now narrowed into a transdemocratic combination of security and normative concerns.

National Interest as a Cultural Issue

The state is a community that is brought into being not by a common faith or ethnic bonds, but by the unanimity of culture open to all manifestations of creative freedom and individual self-expression. The extent to which the citizens of a country and the government share this desire indicates their maturity as a nation.

Relapses of 19th-Century Imperialist Policies

A nineteenth-century imperial policy is an anachronism in the modern world. Objectively speaking, post-Soviet Russia has returned to the nineteenth century, and it thinks that Western powers conduct the same policy. It is not able to understand why it may not do what others do.

Sultan Akimbekov

Documents and Life

The National Security Strategy to 2020 is a key element in managing the development of Russia. The plans to update it are not just a prerequisite for making changes to many other major documents but also a good reason to reconsider the current vision of the country’s present and future and its national interests.

Alexander E. Konkov

World War II in European Memory

The task of politicians should not be to pressure for their own interpretations of World War II, but take WWII debates out of the sphere of current politics. We may take pride in acts of bravery or grieve over crimes, but the new Europe should be built on the basis of what we have in common.

The Ukrainian Lesson

The mistakes in Russia’s policy in Ukraine did not allow it to make use of its huge “historical advantage” over the West; namely, fraternal bonds with the majority of the Ukrainian population. A situation similar to that in Ukraine may occur in other post-Soviet countries with which Russia is now trying to build integration associations.

Vladimir Tchernega

When a Crisis Never Ends

The most important lesson to be learnt from the Greek crisis is the understanding that a never-ending socioeconomic crisis can also be possible in a modern European country. The Greek example shows that at a certain stage of a socioeconomic crisis the possibility of a positive development disappears even in mature democracies.

Sergej Pavlenko

Staying On Track

A trilateral dialogue between Russia, China, and the United States can become the core of a new security system in the Pacific, with other countries and territories in the region gradually joining in. Multilateral cooperation in the North Pacific is a fundamental objective. It will require a transition from the bloc system and allied relations to a multilateral format.

Russia’s Eastern Gambit

Russia has nothing to gain and nothing to lose in Europe. By contrast, Russia has much to gain and everything to lose in Asia. Asia is dynamic and growing. But to realize its potential Russia must focus on internal development, not external posturing. And the obvious place for it to focus first is the Far East.

Salvatore Babones

Sinology on the Silk Road

A new generation of technical experts who will represent Russia’s interests in Eurasian infrastructure projects should ensure the transfer of technologies and competencies. Effective development of new applied sinology centers will ensure the construction of a pan-Eurasian infrastructure for the benefit of all countries of the continent.

Konstantin Ilkovsky

The Missed History Classes

Generally speaking, there are no grounds in Russian-U.S. relations for reviving the Cold War and going to the brink of mutual assured destruction. In the presence of common threats, geopolitical interests can adversely impact bilateral relations only to a certain extent. But the current tendencies do not give hope for their speedy improvement.

Pavel Zolotarev

“The Greatest Caution and Prudence”

The crisis in relations between Russia and the West brings to mind the methods of risk management devised during the previous confrontation. The participants in a roundtable discussion held by the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy believe that a majority of problems can be resolved using a rational approach – through consultations.

The Glass Menagerie of Non-Proliferation

There is no doubt that the international nuclear non-proliferation regime entered a new phase in May 2015. The situation has worsened, and it will be more and more difficult and expensive to correct it. The cooling of international relations will make the NPT situation extremely fragile.

The Game of Rules

Not so long ago Russia was the only country to advocate the adoption of a code of responsible conduct in cyberspace. Today the expert community is already actively discussing the need for such a code with regard to the global Internet infrastructure.

Oleg Demidov, Elena Chernenko