Valdai Club

Three quarters of a century after the first atomic device was exploded in the New Mexico desert, and three decades after the end of the Cold War, there appears to be a recognition in both academic literature and policymaking circles that a “new nuclear era” could be upon us.  

The global transition to a pluralistic world is in its initial phase, and it is far from the emergence of a new international order with generally accepted rules of the game. The contradictions between the great powers, which are especially clearly manifested today in the demonstration of cyber-capabilities, as well as the rivalry between the media and intelligence services, will only deepen. Survival in this jungle will be associated not only with military information innovations, but also with the formulation of strategies that can unite elites with their societies to solve long-term problems.

While AIs will be able to enhance the flexibility of economies under certain conditions in the event of new pandemics, they certainly won’t serve as a ‘miracle solution’, writes Valdai Club expert Jacques Sapir.

Most people in Italy will not think that 21 January was a day different from any other this year. But there will be pockets of celebration amongst those who will look back to the day 100 years ago when the Italian Communist Party (PCI, Partito Comunista Italiano) was founded, not just with nostalgia but also pride and recognition of a political party that shaped modern Italy.

In early 2020, when the pandemic was still gaining momentum, it was very fashionable to repeat the popular notion that the world will never be the same again. In the Russian discourse of the future structure of social policy, it was often said that the pandemic would provide an opportunity for nullifying previous agreements and building a new, "better" world.

The jubilee of colonialism associated with the activities of the British East India Company makes it possible to re-illuminate the complex set of historical and political myths that, on the one hand, have become quite firmly embedded in the narrative of Western culture and constitute one of the foundations of the historical identity of modern British society, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.

The transitioning of presidential power in the US has turned out to be especially "hot" this time: volatile and filled with intrigue, behind-the-scenes deals and leaks. This is thanks to Donald Trump's attempts to review the election results, legislative leapfrogging and the struggle for the Senate. Amid such conditions, the issue of vacant roles to be filled in the new administration which usually dominates the run-up to a new presidency has faded into the background in the United States. Meanwhile, very soon a new team with new political priorities will make media headlines.

The growing vassal-like dependence of Germany on Washington, a biased position on the situation in Venezuela, Syria, Ukraine, as well as Berlin’s active participation in the development of unilateral EU sanctions have led to a situation where an increasing number of countries no longer consider Germany as a candidate for permanent membership of the UN Security Council, Dmitry Kiku writes.

To avoid further radicalisation of the situation in the Middle East, Washington and Tehran must find a modus vivendi in their relations that would prevent the development of events according to a catastrophic scenario. To do this, the United States needs to free itself from the burden of historical grievances, illusions and anti-Iranian phobias, often fictitious, to recognise existing realities, Valdai Club expert Alexander Maryasov writes.

In spite of the initial euphoria among many Indians over the election of Joseph Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris, there is a need to soberly assess where Indo-US relations stand and what impact the changing of the guard in The White House will have on January 20,  2021.