Valdai Club

The Valdai Discussion Club presents its new paper, “National Identity and Russia’s Future,” based on the discussions at the club’s 10th anniversary conference in September 2013 and subsequent work of the expert groups. The paper attempts to answer the most fundamental of questions: Who are the Russians, and what does their future hold?

Valdai Club experts were polled on the results of 2013 and the most important events and people who influenced or changed international affairs The majority of the experts agreed that Vladimir Putin was Person of the Year.

Valdai Club this year was indeed a big political event, dominated by the Russian President who is and will be the dominant political force for the years to come. And the significance of 2013 Valdai cannot be underestimated as its main messages will stay with Russia and the world for a long time.

The Valdai experts believe that President Putin is trying to pinpoint a new political tradition in Russia, where demand is growing for a European identity that differs from a Western identity. Most Russians support the idea of a “conservative revolution” as a means of standing separate from the West while remaining a European nation.

The current situation in Russia is similar to the one in Europe. No one has any clear and demonstrably correct prescriptions for what to do, and hence the tactic of addressing current issues is clearly taking precedence over the need to develop a strategy. There is a list of issues which Europe resolved long ago but which Russia has been trying to address for centuries, primarily creating an effective government.

At this year’s annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, the presence of the opposition and television cameras ratcheted up the pressure on Russian officials to give candid answers.

President Putin’s speech was supposed to become the pinnacle of the 10th Valdai meeting. Someone was quick to characterize it as a “triumphant benefit performance,” but it did not seem like one. The relaxed Putin positioned himself as a crowd-favorite and resembled an experienced master of ceremony a priori confident about his success.

Valdai Club Russian and foreign experts have said that Vladimir Putin’s statement about the possibility of running for president in 2018 was the most interesting, although not at all unexpected. Members of the Russian opposition, however, pointed to Putin’s words on protest movements in Russia and his promise to consider an amnesty for the Bolotnaya Square protesters.