Valdai Club

The USA, looking after its own self-interest, protects its economy from global inflationary trends, whereas, on the other, Russia turns to China, India and even Turkey to substitute for its relative loss of the European energy markets. No doubt, the big loser of the Ukraine war is the EU.

If we analyse cooperation within the framework of 16+1 format and its accompanying projects under the auspices of the BRI by potential KPIs — the number of practice institutions, norms of practice and projects implemented, the scale will not be quite comparable with the alarmism of observers, writes Valdai Club expert Julia Melnikova. 

Recent events in Argentina and Latin America reveal that the traditional players and forces have lost the strategic political initiative, and are in permanent pursuit of readjusting the political map of the region in their favour, writes Argentine political scientist Juan Martin Gonzalez Cabañas.

Education occupies one of the leading places in the world economy. It has long been regarded as an expensive and exceptionally valuable commodity, and the sustainable development of countries is already determined not so much by their resources as by the general level of education of the nation, writes Gulnara Gadzhimuradova, Associate Professor at MGIMO University.

The manipulation of migration issues for political purposes, the spread of misconstrued facts, various kinds of phobias and prejudices do not contribute to the formation of a tolerant environment in society, or the creation of a favourable environment for the reception and accommodation of migrants, writes Valdai Club expert Rashid Alimov.

Both in Europe and in East Asia, international crises periodically flare up, fraught with the threat of growing from the regional to the global level. Conflicts in international relations in East Asia manifest themselves no less, if not more, than in Europe. However, they are based on slightly different reasons than in the Occidental world, writes Valdai Club expert Dmitry Streltsov.

Radhika Desai, a permanent contributor to the Valdai Club, professor at the University of Manitoba and head of the International Manifesto Group, has published a new book, titled Capitalism, Coronavirus and War: A Geopolitical Economy. The book was published in the Rethinking Globalization series by Routledge.

The People's Republic of China has appointed a new foreign minister. Qin Gang, a career diplomat who went through all the key stages of the PRC’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has become the head of the Foreign Ministry. His predecessor Wang Yi was appointed head of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee.

A degree of secrecy is often considered an inevitable aspect of diplomatic exchange, a process that takes place in a variety of settings, from formal to informal, from public to private, as well as bilaterally and multilaterally. Secret diplomacy is a unique form of diplomatic activity since it frequently involves concealing not only the diplomatic initiative from the public and media, but also from one's own government.

Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea occupy an important place in the regional security complex of East Asia. Meanwhile, the fact that both countries have agreements with the United States guaranteeing their military security does not make these neighbours real allies.