Valdai Club

When the obvious leaders of the past are losing their positions, Russia has a chance to use its creative potential and unique historical experience, and, relying on the culture of life “according to conscience”, to offer the world a new economic and social model — a model of harmony between man and nature, writes Valdai Club expert Andrey Bezrukov.

The world is entering a new technology cycle which empowers governments with new tools to advance their interests and creates a space for interaction between states, in which the rules have not yet been determined. At a time where the key military and strategic invention of the previous era – nuclear weapons – remains primarily a deterrent, economic and technological competition has become the main battlefi eld for offensive actions among the leading players.

Technology has become one of the most important spheres in the race for power in the 21st century. The two main technology ecosystems – the American and the Chinese – have clearly taken shape by the beginning of the third decade of the new century. A dilemma for Russia in this regard is whether to join one of the existing platforms or develop one of its own. The choice in favour of the fi rst option implies negotiating the conditions for joining. The second option requires a more ambitious strategy that will determine the key parameters of a Russian techno-ecosystem.

New technology is changing the world before our very eyes, creating a new economic, political, and military reality. The rapid growth of Asia’s economic potential leads to a significant increase in Asian countries’ political weight and military capabilities. They become full-fledged and independent players on the world stage.

After the midterm elections in the Congress on November 6, Donald Trump will finally obtain an opportunity to shape up the foreign policy, because now he is completely engaged with thedomestic affairs. He needs to win this “autumn marathon”. He is most likely to win it, says Andrey Bezrukov, associate professor in Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the MFA of Russia (MGIMO).

The United States is entering a new stage in its development. Although the U.S. remains the leading world power, recent events indicate that it is not immune to instability and change. More importantly, those changes caught the U.S. elite by surprise. Neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump, the two major parties’ presidential candidates, offered a program to resolve the country’s underlying problems, and are themselves symptoms of those ills.

The coming era will be a competition of national technological and human potentials. The era of supranational cosmopolitan financial elites, which, like George Soros, put everything on Hillary Clinton, is over. A time of challenges has come for the US. To survive in the competition and succeed, the country will have to make decisions that will be painful for many people - including the elite.

While we wait for the arms race resumption between the US and Russia, the real and dangerous arms race is unfolding in Asia. Unfortunately, it has every chance to get out of control.

Sanctions wars will continue, but no global cold war between the Broader West and Greater Eurasia should be expected, Professor Andrey Bezrukov from the Moscow-based MGIMO University, told Valdaiclub.com