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.
10/02/201209:43 President Bashar al-Assad can’t suppress the rebels, and they are unable to overthrow him. A direct foreign invasion is unlikely, especially without backing from Security Council, which is being blocked by Russia and China. A diplomatic solution is possible only if there is a basic mutual understanding about the situation in Syria.
09/24/201213:17 The wave of pogroms against American embassies in Arab countries and killing of the US ambassador to Libya caused fear and deep disappointment, because it showed that those who prevail in this part of the world are keen to use violence and extreme approaches to dominate the agenda.
09/12/201209:58 Moscow will not scale down its peaceful co-operation programmes with Damascus. The only exception is new contracts for arms supplies. Even so, Russia’s willingness to continue its economic and political dialogue with Damascus, despite the bloodshed in Syria, does not mean Moscow will enter the war to support the incumbent President Bashar Assad.
08/28/201210:53 Iran is getting ever closer to obtaining a nuclear bomb and wants to get the ultimate insurance policy against a possible military attack. Moscow is doing everything for Tehran without asking for anything in return. Russia is pulling Iran’s chestnuts out of the fire and at the same time is allowing Tehran to walk all over them.
08/01/201210:41 Dropping Assad or not is not the point. Russia is upholding its role in the world and some principles of mutual relations. The biggest risk for Russia is that the growing influence of all kinds of Islamic forces in the Middle East may whip up enthusiasm for Islamic extremists in Russia’s North Caucasus. Hostile relations with Riyadh and Doha are exacerbating this risk.
07/27/201212:28 Support for the opposition may do a lot of damage to the West, and this is why it is necessary to take every opportunity to encourage the sides to sit down at the negotiating table. If the conflict is not settled during Ramadan, events will spiral out of control and we will see the start of a full-scale civil war.
07/26/201209:56 The Russian naval task force consists of different ships: a large anti-submarine warfare ship, two escort ships and five amphibious landing ships. The biggest intrigue is the reason for dispatching the landing ships to Syria. One possible explanation is that they are carrying military equipment for the Syrian army.
07/13/201210:32 The Russian Navy recently announced that it is sending a number of warships to conduct exercises in the Mediterranean. What’s more, these ships are expected to stop in Tartus, the Russian refueling facility in Syria, and several of the ships are carrying naval infantry.
07/03/201209:20 Despite the growing international indignation toward it, Russia's position on Syria has remained remarkably consistent throughout the crisis there. By blocking passage of any resolution at the UN Security Council, Russia has gained both an international visibility and influence that go far beyond its means.
06/25/201211:09 Vladimir Putin is heading to the Middle East. The trip promises no sensations, but draws a lot of attention due to the radically changed situation in the region. This shift had made an enormous impact on Russian positioning in the Middle East game.
