Valdai Club

In practice, any discussion of international governance is always a discussion of how to make workable "political changes" within the existing international order, to prevent a revolutionary trajectory from emerging. The crisis in international politics - the main reason the issue has been placed on the agenda - is the result of a redistribution of power.


It is still premature at this stage to forecast the contours of post-Covid US-China relations. Covid itself is in a strong second wave in many countries, with its economic and humanitarian consequences yet to fully play out. The US is on the cusp of one of its most important Presidential elections in recent history, whose outcome will influence domestic politics, transatlantic relations and relations with both Russia and China.

Balancing and competition between the US and China will take place primarily in the economic realm, where the two nations are closer to parity. Balancing will be much less intense in the military realm, where China will be deterred in by US power. Economic balancing is much safer than military balancing and the current system will be more peaceful than the Cold War, writes Cliff Kupchan, Сhairman and Director of research at Eurasia Group
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The first global air purification of the pandemic era has led us to ask if serious environmental improvements are possible without an initial disaster. Without it, humanity itself will never do anything. We agree that in terms of social psychology, this is a rather pessimistic conclusion. But we also agree that it reflects a valid perspective writes Valdai Club Programme Director Oleg Barabanov.

There is a certain irony in the US, which has distinguished itself in being unable to protect its citizens from the pandemic launching the New Cold War against China, which has been exemplary in its protection of its citizens. This is certain to have an effect on both US and international opinion, writes Valdai Club expert Radhika Desai.

There aren’t any easy answers to potential risks posed by the AI-Automation-Nuclear nexus, but a starting point has to be a greater understanding of the key concepts and an appreciation of how the deployment of such technologies could play out. In the nuclear realm, and especially now in the increasing digital global nuclear realm, perceptions and the potential for misunderstanding will be as important as reality, writes Andrew Futter, Professor of International Politics at the University of Leicester.

Since American demands do not follow from ensuring the national security of the United States, Russia can assume that the Trump administration could sacrifice them in pursuit of their electoral interests. Russia could stay in its position and watch as the US requests taken off the table, one by one, writes Valdai Club expert Andrey Baklitskiy.

The most recent Valdai Report is more “practical” as justification for new approaches that many may think on first reading. It does not only provide a sharp critique of the current international order, but suggests a possible alternative future to it as well as some tools to make it happen. Valdai Report is – in spirit – a cry for a deep transformational change necessary for our own survival, writes Piotr Dutkiewicz, Co-Director of the Centre for Governance and Public Management, Carleton University, Ottawa.

The Covid pandemic dealt a blow not only to the state of the world economy, but to its most important asset, namely human capital. In particular, one of the most significant implications of the Covid pandemic has been the sizeable shock delivered to migration flows and the related flow of remittances. The drastic reduction in the size of remittances exacerbates the imbalances observed in the global economy associated with the gap between developed and developing economies, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Yaroslav Lissovolik.

The Valdai Club Report deserves a read, and its authors deserve gratitude for their intellectual courage. It would not be an exaggeration to say that their work is a breath of fresh air in the stifling atmosphere of contemporary Russian discourse on world politics, writes Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC).