Valdai Club

The third decade of the 21st century started out with extremely dramatic events. The COVID-19 pandemic, the armed conflict in Ukraine, the exacerbating Russia-West confrontation, the rapid strengthening of the global role of the global majority countries (countries outside the Western alliance), the global food crisis and aggravated environmental threats taken together have spurred the long process of collapse of the international political system, leaving out of sight what may come to replace it.

The worsening international military and political situation compels experts, time and time again, to focus on missile defenses. Heightened missile threats stimulate the development of defensive capabilities. Traditionally, missile defense is seen as a destabilization factor as well. The purpose of this paper is to identify fundamental trends and key problem areas and present proposals for potential solutions to minimize the negative implications of missile defense development for international security.

Central Asia’s place in the constellation of Russia’s foreign policy interests is determined by its geopolitics, features of the international political architecture and Russia’s wide-ranging and multifaceted ties with the main states in the region. Central Asia is unlike other large parts of the former Soviet Union, such as its European part or South Caucasus. There is not a single Central Asian country for which confl ict with Russia could become a central element of their national foreign policy.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has been in a deep economic and political crisis for almost a decade. Both the domestic opposition and a tangible part of the international community dispute the legitimacy of its government. The country is being deprived of a large share of foreign investment and has been subjected to many sanctions by the countries of the collective West. Venezuela’s population is short of basic necessities and medications, which has led to social unrest and significant emigration.


The host countries’ societies do not always appreciate a seemingly obvious fact: migrants are not just a “workforce” or some “median population.” They move from one country to another in search of jobs and better life opportunities. They have their own problems and vulnerabilities.

World politics has begun to rapidly return to a state of anarchy built on force.3 “The end of history” culminated in the restoration of its usual course – the destruction of the international order resulting from large- scale conflicts between centres of power.

The past achievements of Russia-China interaction became more prominent as the military-diplomatic crisis transitioned into the acute phase. These developments have revealed both the structural strength of their cooperation and the challenges they will have to deal with together.

Today, as in past epochs, the search for an international political balance is accompanied by intense confrontation between major powers and military blocs. Not surprisingly, mutual hostility is emerging as the dominant mode in relations between Russia and the West.

Following up on the Valdai Club’s cooperation with Istituto Affari Internazionali as part of T20 Italy 2021, the Club’s Programme Director Yaroslav Lissovolik has contributed to IAI’s study dedicated to the role of central banks in addressing climate change.

Climate change has become one of the most pressing challenges in the world. The IPCC-6 report released in August 2021 indicated that a minimum of 2 degrees of warming is inevitable. As a result, the COP-26 conference in Glasgow in November 2021 generated immense public interest.