4th annual conference of the Middle East Dialogue of the Valdai International Discussion Club, titled “Islam in Politics: Ideology or Pragmatism?”, will take place in Marrakesh, Morocco, on May 14-15.
Issues of commonalities and differences in the Muslim communities of Russia and Canada, as well as problems of their integration into the legal frameworks of their respective countries, were the main topics of discussion at the conference Muslims in Russia, the CIS, and Canada: Cohabitation and Cooperation
The conference Muslims in Russia, the CIS, and Canada: Cohabitation and Cooperation presented by Carleton’ Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, the Department of Political Science, the Carleton Centre for the Study of Islam, and the Valdai Discussion Club is to be held on March 8, 2013 at the Carleton University, Ottawa.
The analytical report “Russia’s Economy: after Transformation, before Modernization” was prepared after discussions at the Valdai Discussion Club Summit held on October 21–22, 2012. The report incorporates many of the conclusions on Russia’s political development contained in the 2011 Valdai report “Russia Should Not Miss Its Chance: Development Scenarios”.
The Russia Development Index (Valdai Index) reflects the combined opinion of the world's leading experts on Russia as regards Russia’s political, economic, social, cultural and international performance. The annual poll aims to study changes in Russia’s development trends over a year. It is important that respondents assess not the current situation, but changes.
The analytical report “Military Reform: Toward the New Look of the Russian Army” summarizes the results of the conference of the Valdai Discussion Club Defense and Security section titled “Modernization of Russia’s Armed Forces and Cooperation in International Security” which was held on May 25-27, 2011 in Moscow.
Russian leadership outside the country is a step higher in quality than inside. In Russia, leadership is facing the risk of stagnation these days, and the profit-driven motivation of senior government officials has become all too obvious.
The key foreign risk for Russia is the so-called "parting" with Europe. Currently, Europe and Russia cannot find common ground even on mutually beneficial issues. The key domestic risk is the continued unrest in the Caucasus.
In the short term, main competitive advantages of Russia are a large reserve of raw-materials, low internal energy prices, and a relatively well educated work force. For the next 10 to 15 years, it is important that Russia develop its competitive advantage in work force, both by improving its educational system and by developing skills and competence.
Russia is a Euro-Asian country. It's very important for Russia to become a major power both in Europe and in Pacific area. This is the historical destiny of Russia. However, the most important external risk for Russia is the United States' policy of confrontation.
The immediate options in a situation where revenues fall and expenditures rise would be to increase the budget deficit or taxes. Both options will impair Russia’s economic growth and would drain the resources for development, thus reducing stimuli for private investment. The government made a strategic decision to avoid both solutions.
The existing list of state-owned companies marked for privatization includes a wide range of companies in various industries which may be owned by federal, regional or municipal authorities and which also vary in the form of ownership – some are joint stock companies while others are municipal enterprises or state companies which are structurally part of government agencies. This heterogeneous lot cannot be privatized following a uniform procedure.
It is a specific feature of state capitalism in Russia that all decisions and processes are centralized, so if a single actor appears in the region to pursue a consolidated policy, it will be a positive factor for the economic development of Siberia and the Far East.
The growing outright rivalry between the United States and China gives Russia more foreign policy weight, enabling it to assume the role of a balancer. So far it has been doing so rather skillfully. Today it may participate in a joint naval exercise with China that Beijing positions as outwardly anti-American. But tomorrow it can team up with the naval forces of the Old World.
Richard Beeston, one of the leading foreign affairs writers in contemporary British journalism and a Member of the Valdai Club, passed away on May 19 2013 aged 50.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is one of the most important foreign policy initiatives taken by Russia along with five other countries. Both Russia and China want to reduce the threat of separatism and western influence in the region. Emergence of SCO provoked new international order.
Iran has made varying degrees of progress down the tracks—enrichment, weaponization and delivery system—needed to have a viable nuclear weapon. How far will it proceed? One option is to build a bomb and, to show the world its nuclear prowess, conduct a test. But that option poses real risks for the Iranian government.
