ISSN 2618-9844 (Online version)
ISSN 1810-6374 (Print version)
The Far East as a meeting point of three key regions?Eurasia, Pacific Asia, and the Arctic?opens up prospects for overcoming a false dilemma of traditional division into continental and maritime states. Russia’s dual geopolitical nature allows it to move along both tracks at the same time.
It seemed before the Singapore summit, - the meeting of the leaders of the US and North Korea, which was drawing attention of the whole international community while being prepared, that Donald Trump’s “blackmail diplomacy” proved its effectiveness. However, is it possible to consider his policy towards Pyongyang and his administration’s foreign policy a success?
Only joint efforts with US, China, North and South Korea will bring a lasting deal
This issue differs from the previous ones, as our readers have probably noticed. The more chaotic the international situation is and the more absurd its manifestations are, the more in-depth and stricter approach is needed in order to figure everything out.
Today mutual respect is probably the scarcest commodity in relations between great or even just major powers. This is particularly visible in the divide between the West and the Rest.
On January 1, 2018, the leader of the DPRK Kim Jong-un delivered a traditional New Year message, which is perceived as a "task for the current year" and is an important statement from the point of view of determining the country's leadership goals.
Combating future uncertainties is the main task when it comes to forecasting anything. Speaking about international relations, there are two key uncertainties here – the unknown motives of actors in a crisis and the likelihood of spontaneous relevant events.
Russia loses the least from a nuclear North Korea. This is why, on the one hand, it should take measures to avoid a conflict, and on the other, pursue a prudent strategy so that a conflict, should it break out, affects Russia less than other geopolitical rivals.
Overcoming the legacy of the Cold War, during which several generations grew up, proved much more difficult than was expected. That Russian-U.S. relations have been thrown far back does not meet anyone’s interests, but finding a way out of this impasse will take time, goodwill and breakthrough ideas.
As the centenary of the Russian Revolution of 1917 was drawing nearer, many remembered the magic of numbers and looked forward to hearing a metaphysical echo of those events. Fortunately, no cataclysms occurred, but the important occasion sparked discussions not only on history but also on modernity. In fact, many compare current sociopolitical transformations to those that precipitated the dramatic changes in the early 20th century.
The Asian center of economic growth will move to the south, and the developed countries will try to adapt foreign labor migration to the needs of high-tech production.
The political and economic relationship between Russia and China has been intensifying over the past decade, particularly as Moscow has attempted to “pivot to the East.”
While the North Korea crisis hangs over regional and global peace, the world calls out to constructive and peaceful cooperation that can halt the ‘conflict spiral’. The Russian-Korean cooperation and Eurasian integration may become a remedy for the problem.
Among the most disturbing aspects of the North Korean nuclear problem today is the lack of a common perspective between Washington and Moscow.
The perspective from a highly technical and science-based organization, gives a positive and hopeful outlook on what technological progress can contribute to the future of humanity.
The never-ending political infighting in the US could be viewed as an inevitable stage in an overly complex path the US must take to find its place in the world, one that is changing in spite of what the US wants or thinks. On the other hand, these political struggles make it even harder and more painful for the US and for the rest of the world to adapt to these changes.
The rate at which Pyongyang has been developing its missile program shows that prospects for a successful disarming strike that may go unpunished will disappear within a year or two. Therefore, if the U.S. does not dare strike at North Korea, there will be no alternatives to a meaningful dialogue with Pyongyang.
None of the possible scenarios for solving the North Korean problem—negotiations, sanctions, and a military solution—can be considered acceptable and satisfactory. This means that the United States and the whole world will likely have to coexist with a nuclear North Korea.
Each of the serious players now has to make an inevitable and unpleasant choice between “bad” and “very bad,” not even knowing which of the choices has less dangerous consequences.
If we give up the norms and instruments of nuclear arms control developed over the past half century, we will eventually end up with nothing. Instead, we should urgently save this invaluable structure and improve this system in a prudent way, adapting it to new challenges and threats.
There is an increasingly strong feeling of countdown—towards even more drastic changes. The world is moving somewhere along the sparkling moonlit path.
Today mutual respect is probably the scarcest commodity in relations between great or even just major powers. This is particularly visible in the divide between the West and the Rest.
Washington and Pyongyang will eventually need to resume direct talks. With neither party ready for that yet, at first secret contacts will have to be organized in third countries. In the meantime, de-escalation is the order of the day, and Russia one of its unlikely brokers.
Politicians and experts, journalists and diplomats are increasingly alarmed about the possible catastrophic consequences of the current crisis — not only for the Korean Peninsula, but for the system of world politics in general.
We should not delude ourselves with the assumption that peace is the natural state of mankind in our age.
Recent US sanctions against China and Russia are signs of the Trump administration’s toughening approach to North Korea. Ironically, these sanctions come on the heels of a UN Security Council resolution imposing new measures against North Korea that the US, China and Russia voted in favor of.
Recent US sanctions against China and Russia are signs of the Trump administration's toughening approach to North Korea.
The crisis with North Korea over its nuclear weapons programme is often compared to the similar confrontation the international community had with Iran. It would be encouraging if we could expect a similar outcome.
The Valdai Discussion Club held an expert discussion dedicated to the results of the Hamburg G20 summit, which took place over the weekend.
Russia and China’s strategic military cooperation is becoming ever closer. President Putin has announced that Russia is helping China build an early warning system to spot intercontinental ballistic missile launches.
This year’s Annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank in Washington DC revealed a growing preoccupation with the mounting signs of a slowdown in the world economy.
Catherine the Great is credited with saying that the only way to secure the borders of the Russian Empire is to expand them continuously. This logic is to some degree applicable to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which embarked on a path of geographical enlargement quite literally from the very first days of its existence.
Developing the Russian Far East and Siberia has been an important step in state-building for Russia. Although there have been debates about appropriate ideas and policies in the strategy, developing the vast frontier region and promoting relations with Asian countries has set a steadfast direction of development for Russia. Chinese-Russian cooperation in the border region during the early stages of imperial Russia’s policies in the Far East holds enlightening significance for today’s bilateral cooperation.
The main objective for the Shinzo Abe administration’s active engagement in supporting the involvement of Japanese companies in the development of the Russian Far East is to create favourable environment for resolution of the territorial issue and conclusion of a peace treaty with Russia. Japan–Russia cooperation in the Russian Far East is part of Abe’s 8-point cooperation plan with Moscow.