VALDAI CLUB AWARD
Creative Destruction: Will a New World Order Emerge from the Current Conflicts?
Sochi
Programme
List of speakers

The image of the world order is undergoing radical changes today, as the world of the future is being shaped under the influence of global conflicts. The 14th annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, which will take place on October 16-19 in Sochi, is tasked with analyzing the transformation of socio-political worldviews and outlining the contours of the future.

The world has entered a new stage of development. Profound shifts are taking place in all spheres: the international political order, the economic model, the social structure, the technological innovations, and the cultural makeup. They are accompanied by sharp collisions between new and old institutions, the destruction of old forms of organization in various spheres of life and the emergence of new ones.

Contrary to expectations, no new world order emerged following the end of the Cold War, and conflicts of the past quarter-century have been the product of erosion and deconstruction of the old order, primarily in the socio-political sphere. Today’s conflicts are the source of the creation of new forms, albeit often in a painful manner. The way these conflicts unfold as well as their results will define the composition of the world in mid-to-late 21st century. This is what Joseph Schumpeter called, with regard to markets and economic patterns, “creative destruction.”

Through the analysis of various conflicts, participants in the meeting will try to outline the contours of the future.

The main topics of discussion at the annual meeting will be:

  • Conflict of geopolitical worldviews

  • Conflict between the rich and the poor

  • Conflict between man and nature

  • Conflict between universalism and identity

  • Conflict between progress and humanism

The meeting will conclude with a plenary session titled “The World of the Future: Through Conflict to Harmony.”

As part of the annual meeting, an inaugural Valdai Club Award Ceremony, commissioned in 2016, will be held. The award is given for a significant contribution to the understanding and the analysis of changes and trends in world politics.

A special session will also be dedicated to the presentation of the Future Preparedness Index, in which, through the analysis of statistical data and expert opinions, the Valdai Club and the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) evaluated the ability of G20 countries to withstand the challenges of tomorrow. In addition, as part of the meeting, other special sessions and traditional meetings with high-ranking Russian statesmen will take place.

The annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi will be attended by politicians and public figures as well as distinguished international and Russian experts.

Information for the media: To attend, please fill out the accreditation form or call +7 915 077 97 22, +7 926 930-77-63.

The Valdai Discussion Club was established in 2004. Since then it has won an international repute as a venue for leading world experts to engage with Russian scholars, politicians and government officials. Today the Club’s activities mainly focus on research of global political and economic processes. Over 1000 experts from 63 countries have taken part in the Club’s work since its inception.