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.
12/26/201210:54 For Russia, South Stream is above all an instrument for enhancing the reliability of gas supplies to Europe, which is the key consumer of Russian natural gas. In terms of profitability, Gazprom’s investment in the project will be partly compensated by the revenues of Russian steel and pipe-building companies, which will provide their products for the pipeline.
06/14/201210:14 The reality is that the Russian gas exporter, Gazprom, is as dependent on the European market as the Europeans are on Russian gas. So a great deal of the anxiety about dependence on Russian gas really doesn’t reflect the reality, which is that Gazprom earns most of its profits exporting gas to Europe and to date Gazprom doesn’t mostly export gas to Asia, that’s the future.
05/23/201213:55 The reality is that the Russian gas exporter, Gazprom, is as dependent on the European market as the Europeans are on Russian gas. So a great deal of the anxiety about dependence on Russian gas really doesn’t reflect the reality, which is that Gazprom earns most of its profits exporting gas to Europe and to date Gazprom doesn’t mostly export gas to Asia, that’s the future.
03/26/201213:14 One of the most obvious obstacles to implementing the Trans-Caspian project is the undefined legal status of the Caspian Sea. Iran and Russia believe that construction of the pipeline cannot and must not begin before all five Caspian countries have signed a treaty on the legal status of the sea.
10/24/201110:28 Over the past 20 years, the industry has been using facilities created during the Soviet era, and has only built a few new ones. The majority of its assets is obsolete and need to be repaired and upgraded. Humanity is starting to save resources by using energy efficient technology, alternative fuels, and renewable sources of energy.
10/14/201114:29 Africa is gaining greater importance in the foreign policy of developed nations, who are competing for influence on the continent. The United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and India all seek to expand political and economic ties with African nations. Their main interest in Africa lies in their growing need for its vast resources. Moreover, Africa remains an enormous and largely undeveloped market for technology and consumer goods.
09/14/201110:04 China and Russia will not ship oil and gas across a transit country. Both countries have a solid international reputation in terms of their solvency and credit worthiness. They do not need to fear potential “gas wars,” such as those that marred Russia’s relations with Ukraine and Belarus.
07/26/201111:12 Nabucco and South Stream are very different in both concept and structure, and this is important for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each project. Nabucco is a mercantile pipeline. It is being developed and financed by gas companies with backing from the European Union.
05/25/201121:31 The first things that should be noted are the recent agreements between the presidents of EDF and Gazprom on the South Stream project. Also, there are some plans for negotiations and discussions between EU representatives and Russian officials regarding the South Stream project. So the first point is that, apparently, a great deal of progress has been made in the timely implementation of the South Stream project.
05/12/201111:06 The "gas map" of Europe, which was largely drawn in the Soviet era, is poised to undergo a phenomenal change. The great consolidation of Russia's status as the pre-eminent energy supplier - Russia today supplies over 41% of Europe's gas needs - is certain to transform east-west relations in the medium and long term and will figure as a key factor in the United States' trans-Atlanticism.
