The Valdai Discussion Club’s expert programme titled “World Majority and World Order Models” is coming to an end. In many ways, it continued to develop the themes of last year's Global Alternatives programme. Readers can find a brief summary of last year’s results here.
One of the programme’s priority areas of analysis was BRICS activities. In March, the Club published a major report, “The Evolution of the BRICS Values Platform”. It examined the dynamics of coordinated BRICS approaches to value issues and highlighted the crystallisation of relevant formulations in the declarations of the annual BRICS summits. The report also analysed the BRICS countries’ votes in the UN General Assembly on anti-Russian and anti-Iranian resolutions. Marco Fernandes’ article is devoted to Brazil’s 2025 BRICS presidency, while one by Hendra Manurung and Oktaheroe Ramsi focuses on Indonesia’s accession to BRICS. Mayya Nikolskaya and Alina Matveeva analysed BRICS as a brand in the context of Africa. Ekaterina Abramova, Tamara Andreeva, and Daria Zelenova devoted their article to the BRICS summit in Rio. Rupal Mishra analysed India’s foreign policy priorities in the context of BRICS. Claudio Ruf Escobar discussed the prospects and challenges for South America in the context of BRICS.
The de-dollarisation of the global financial system is to a certain extent related to the BRICS agenda. In November, Paulo Nogueira Batista’s Valdai Club Report “Beyond the Dollar: BRICS Initiatives for a Multipolar Financial System” concerned this. This topic is also covered in Radhika Desai’s articles on the World Majority’s de-dollarization goals and on the impact of the dollar system on entrenching global inequality. Rasigan Maharajh emphasises the need to create BRICS’s own institutions and instruments in this regard, instead of engaging in fruitless attempts to reform existing Western-centric financial institutions.
As in previous years, the programme’s priority focus was Africa and Russia’s cooperation with the continent. In July, the Valdai Discussion Club held its Third Russian-African Conference in Pretoria. The Club’s partner in organising the conference was the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). The conference discussed interactions between Russia and African countries in BRICS and the G20, and analysed strengthening cooperation between Russia and Africa in the humanitarian and educational spheres. Separate sessions at the conference were devoted to bilateral cooperation between Russia and South Africa, as well as the “Trump challenge” in global politics and the pressure the US president is trying to exert on the countries of the Global South. A Valdai Club report by Daria Zelenova and Sanusha Naidoo, “Russia and South Africa: A Solid Foundation for Strategic Partnership,” was published for the conference. Following the conference, an article by Tasneem Wania and Chrismonne Olwagen was published.
Also on African topics, articles were published by Alexandra Zubenko on uranium mining in Niger, Andrea Bianchi on Libya, Denis Degterev on Russian-African cooperation, Adu Yao Nicaise on the role of historical memory in relations between Russia and Africa, Igor Istomin on Trump’s policy towards South Africa, Olga Slavova on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in South Africa, Anna Barsukova on Francophonie in Africa, Elena Kharitonova on civilisational identity in Africa, Aliou Tounkara on ‘Russian Houses’ in Africa, Sanusha Naidu and Arina Muresan on the image of Russia in South Africa, Olivier Roqueplo on the situation in Mayotte and Sergei Mikhnevich and Sergei Krasilnikov on cooperation between the EAEU and Africa. The evolution of approaches to Africa in various versions of the Russian Federation’s Foreign Policy Concept was also analysed.
Mikatekiso Kubayi’s article is dedicated to South Africa’s G20 Presidency. Materials were published on the results of the G20 summit in South Africa, as well as in the context of the Trump administration’s pressure on South Africa regarding expectations for the US G20 Presidency in 2026.
The aforementioned challenge of Trumpism was also the focus of articles by David Lane on comparing Trumpism to liberal interventionism, Sellita on the concept of buffer states in the Trump era, Boris Perius Zabolotsky on Trump’s tariff pressure on Brazil, and Dimitrios Konstantakopoulos on Trump’s pressure on China. EU-US relations under Trump are discussed in articles by Pawel Wargan, Pasquale Preziosa and Dario Velo. Gonzalo Fiore Viani examined Argentina’s political strategy in the context of Trump. Articles were also published on the contours of the hypothetical “Alaskan system of international relations”, on the influence of Trumpism on political theory, on the concept of the “Trump spring”, on a kind of “revolutionary situation” in world politics under Trump. Dario Velo considered the possible world order after the Ukrainian conflict.
Trump’s activities have added new dimensions to the understanding of imperialism, another topic of interest to the Club. This was addressed in articles by Dmitry Novikov on postmodern imperialism, David Lane on comparing Trump’s imperialism with its predecessors, and Petros Papakonstantinou on “digital capitalism”.
Both the African and BRICS topics are closely linked to issues of decolonisation and the fight against neo-colonialism. These issues were also a focus of the Club’s attention. In April, to commemorate the anniversary of the 1955 Bandung Conference of Asian and African Countries, a special Valdai Club report, “The Bandung Conference: Historical Memory and Vision to the Future,” was published. The report’s authors included Ekaterina Koldunova, Nikita Kuklin, Hendra Manurung, Connie Rahakundini Bakri, Sellita, and Marco Fernandes.
In December, to commemorate the anniversary of the 1960 UN Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, the Club held a discussion on this topic. A study of the transcripts of the 1960 UN General Assembly debates on this issue was published for this discussion. A discussion on neocolonialism in Africa was also held. On the topic of the fight against neocolonialism, the following articles were published: Rasigan Maharajh, “Free the Mind, Free the Land”; Adu Yao Nicaise on the pressing tasks of the fight against neocolonialism in Africa; Nikolai Dobronravin on Russia’s solidarity with African countries against neocolonialism; and Konstantin Pantzerev on the perception in Africa of the Russian concept of the fight against neocolonialism. An article was also published on the dangers of preventing the green agenda from becoming a new instrument of neocolonialism in dealing with developing countries.
As in previous years, the Club devoted considerable attention to issues of historical memory policy. The 80th anniversary of the Soviet people’s victory in the Great Patriotic War was of key importance here. The Valdai Club published a special report, “Immortal Letters of Victory.” It featured the first publication of previously unknown soldiers’ letters and diaries from the Great Patriotic War, which were in the private collection of Tamara Shashikhina, Director of the Eurasian Educational Institute at MGIMO University of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Specifically, fragments of the extensive war diary of Guard Sergeant Major Pyotr Nosov, a selection of war letters from Captain Tamara Avalyan, and other documents were published for the first time. This work was carried out in collaboration between the Club, the Federal Archival Agency of the Russian Federation, and the Central State Archive of Contemporary History. A presentation of this report was held on the eve of Victory Day.
To commemorate Victory Day, articles were published on the contemporary perception of the victory in various countries: Milana Živanović in Serbia, Biljana Vankovska in Macedonia, Boris Perius Zabolotsky in Latin America, Olivier Roqueplo in France, and Hendra Manurung, Yudi Subiantoro and Yermiya Hendarwoto in Indonesia. Milana Živanović’s article on the Victory over Japan was published. Also, as part of its focus on the policy of historical memory, the Club held a discussion on the anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter.
As previously, the Club’s expert programme focused on analysing migration processes in the modern world. In July, the Club held a discussion on these issues. This topic is also addressed in articles by Dmitry Poletaev, Andrea Bianchi, Roberta Alonzi, and Gulnara Gadzhimuradova.
The uncertainty of global politics calls for particular attention to the problems and effectiveness of expert forecasting of international processes. In September, the Valdai Club held a special discussion on this topic, presenting the forecasting work of a research group led by Igor Istomin. This group also published an article on this topic, as well as an article on the challenges of expert forecasting effectiveness in modern conditions.
A number of the Club’s authors addressed various international aspects of the Ukrainian crisis. Valdir da Silva Bezerra wrote about geoeconomic shifts in Eurasia following the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines, Dario Velo addressed the legal aspects of the crisis, Misa Djurkovic wrote about the EU’s military policy in the context of the Ukraine conflict, and Kamran Gasanov wrote about the impact of the Israeli-Iranian war on hostilities in Ukraine. David Lane viewed the conflict between NATO/Ukraine and Russia as another form of Western imperialism. Connie Rahakundini Bakri presented her perspective on the dynamics of Russia's position in the current geopolitical environment.
Conflicts in the Middle East are addressed in Misa Djurkovic’s articles on Western accusations of Iran’s human rights violations. Kamran Gasanov wrote articles on the geopolitical consequences of Israel’s strike on Qatar and on Turkey’s influence in Syria. Murad Sadigzade presented an article on the Middle East as part of the global majority.
The Club’s discussion was dedicated to the geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus. An article on the same topic by Sergei Markedonov was published.
Among other topics, Gleb Sugakov touched on the impact of climate change on the World Ocean, while Natalia Pomozova and Nikolai Litvak addressed the ethics of artificial intelligence. An article was also published on the issue of sovereignty in the context of large-scale AI language models.
Overall, it is quite clear that the topic of the global majority, non-Western development alternatives, and the value diversity of the Global Non-West and South are currently at the forefront of contemporary world politics. The Valdai Club will continue its work on this topic next year.
