Translation from Russian: OUR CENTRAL EUROPE
A Post-Hegemonic World: Justice and Security for All , speech 29-10-2022.
The four-day meeting was attended by 111 experts, politicians, diplomats and economists from Russia and 40 other countries, including Afghanistan, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Turkey, the United States and Uzbekistan to name a few.
Moderator of the Valdai Club plenary session was Fyodor Lukyanov :
Good day Mr President,
We look forward to seeing you every year, but this year we may have been more impatient than usual as there are many topics to discuss.
Vladimir Putin: Yes, I think so too.
Fyodor Lukyanov: The forum mainly focused on international order issues, e.g. B. how the world is changing and, above all, who is actually at the helm of the world, who is directing it or whether the world can be directed at all.
However, we are only discussing this as observers, but you have the power – so please let us know your thoughts.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much!
The Russian President’s speech in full:
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
I had the opportunity to get an idea of what you have been discussing here over the past few days. It was an interesting and rich discussion. I hope you don’t regret coming to Russia and sharing with each other.
I’m glad to see you all.
We have used the Valdai Club platform more than once to discuss the major and serious changes that have already taken place and are still taking place in the world, as well as the risks posed by the weakening of global institutions, the erosion of the principles of the collective security and substitution of „rules“ for international law. I was tempted to say, „We’re aware of who came up with these rules,“ but that might not be the correct statement. We have no idea who came up with these rules, what these rules are based on, or what is contained in these rules.
It looks like we are witnessing an attempt to impose just one rule by which the powerful – we spoke of power, and I’m talking about global power now – could live by without obeying any rules, and with get away from it all. These are the rules that, as they say, they keep insisting on, that is, talking about incessantly.
The Valdai discussions are important because you hear a large number of assessments and forecasts here. Life always shows how right they were, because life is the strictest and most objective teacher. Life shows how accurate the forecasts of the past few years have been.
The events have escalated into a systemic crisis
Unfortunately, events continue to follow a negative trend, as we have discussed more than once in our previous meetings. In addition, they have escalated into a larger systemic crisis that extends not only to the military-political but also to the economic and humanitarian spheres.
The so-called West, which is of course a theoretical construct because it is not united and is clearly a highly complex conglomerate, has taken a number of steps in recent years and especially in recent months that point to an escalation of the situation aim They’re actually always trying to aggravate things, which is nothing new either. These include fomenting the war in Ukraine, the provocations around Taiwan, and the destabilization of global food and energy markets. Of course, the latter was not done on purpose, there is no doubt about that. The destabilization of the energy market was the result of a series of systemic blunders by Western authorities, as I mentioned at the beginning. As we now see the situation was exacerbated by the destruction of pan-European gas pipelines. It all sounds otherworldly, but we still witnessed these sad developments.
It’s about global power and a dirty game
Global power is what the so-called West is all about in its game. But this game is certainly dangerous, bloody and, I would say, dirty. It flouts the sovereignty of countries and peoples, their identity and uniqueness, and tramples on the interests of other states. Even if the word „withdrawal“ isn’t used, they always do it in real life. No one except those who set up the rules mentioned are entitled to keep their identity: everyone else has to submit to these rules.
In this regard, I would like to remind you of Russia’s proposals to our Western partners to build trust and a collective security system. They were just discarded once more in December 2021.
But sitting out can hardly work in the modern world. As the saying goes, whoever sows the wind will reap the storm. The crisis has indeed reached global dimensions and has affected everyone. One should have no illusions about this.
Mankind is at a crossroads: either it will continue to accumulate problems and will eventually collapse under their weight, or they will work together on solutions – even imperfect ones as long as they work – that will make our world more stable and safer.
You know, I’ve always believed in the power of common sense. That’s why I’m convinced that sooner or later both the new centers of the multipolar world order and the West will have to start a dialogue on an equal footing about a common future for all of us – the sooner, the better, of course. In this context, I would like to highlight some of the most important aspects for all of us.
Current developments have pushed environmental issues into the background. Strange as it may sound, that’s exactly what I want to talk about first today. Climate change is no longer high on the agenda. But this fundamental challenge has not disappeared, it is still there and it is increasing.
The loss of biological diversity is one of the most dangerous consequences of the destruction of the ecological balance. This brings me to the central point that we have all come together to discuss. Isn’t it just as important to maintain cultural, social, political and civilizational diversity?
The West pursues leveling and annulment
At the same time, leveling and erasing all differences is essentially what defines the modern West. What is behind it? First and foremost, the West’s dwindling creative potential and its desire to inhibit and block the free development of other civilizations.
Of course, there is also an overt business interest. By imposing their values, consumption habits and standardization on others, our opponents are trying – I will choose my words with caution – to expand the markets for their products. The goal pursued is ultimately very primitive. It is remarkable that the West proclaims the universal value of its culture and worldview. Even if they don’t say it openly and often do so, they act as if it were part of life, in that the policies they pursue are intended to demonstrate that these values must be unconditionally accepted by all other members of the international community.
I would like to quote from Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s famous 1978 Harvard graduation address. He said that what characterized the West was „a notorious blindness to superiority“ – and it persists to this day – which „upholds the belief that vast tracts of land across our planet should evolve and mature according to today’s Western system. He said that in 1978. Nothing has changed about that.
Deformed excesses of the unipolar world order
In the nearly 50 years since then, the blindness that Solzhenitsyn spoke of, which is openly racist and neo-colonialist, has taken particularly deformed forms, especially after the emergence of the so-called unipolar world (order). What am I referring to? Belief in one’s own infallibility is very dangerous; it is just a step away from the infallibles‘ desire to annihilate those they do not like, or, as they say, their desire to cancel them („cancel culture“). Think about the meaning of this word for a moment.
Even at the very height of the Cold War, at the height of the confrontation between the two systems, their ideologies and military rivalry, it never occurred to anyone to deny the existence of the culture, art and science of other peoples or their adversaries. Nor did anyone think of it. Yes, there were certain restrictions on contacts in education, science, culture and unfortunately also in sport. Yet, nonetheless, both the Soviet and American leaders understood that in order to lay at least a basis for solid, productive relations in to ensure the future.
About former Nazis and today’s „Cancel Culture“
And what is happening today? Once the Nazis went so far as to burn books, and now the Western „guardians of liberalism and progress“ have gone so far as to ban Dostoyevsky and Tchaikovsky. The so-called „cancellation of culture“ and in fact – as we have said many times – the real abolition of culture consists in eradicating all living and creative things and free thinking in all areas, be it economics, the politics or culture, to suffocate.
Today, liberal ideology has distorted itself beyond recognition. If classical liberalism initially understood the freedom of every human being to do and say what he wants, in the 20th century liberals began to name enemies of the so-called open society and to limit, if not eliminate, their freedom. It has reached the absurd point where any alternative opinion is declared subversive propaganda and a threat to democracy.
Anything coming out of Russia is branded as “Kremlin intrigues” . But see for yourself. Are we really that almighty? Any criticism of our opponents – any – is perceived as „Kremlin intrigue“ or „the hand of the Kremlin . “ This is insane. How low have they sunk? Instead, you should use your wits to articulate something more interesting or conceptualize your point of view. You can’t blame everything on the Kremlin’s intrigues.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky prophesied all this already in the 19th century. One of the characters in his novel Demons , the nihilist Zhigalev, described the bright future he envisioned: “Starting with boundless liberty, I end with boundless arbitrariness.” This is where our western adversaries have arrived. Another character in the novel, Pyotr Verkhovensky, speaks of the need for general treason, reporting, and espionage, claiming that society needs no talents or greater ability: „Cicero’s tongue is cut out, Copernicus‘ eyes gouged out, and Shakespeare is stoned.“ This is what our western opponents are getting at. What is that if not western annulment culture?
These were great thinkers and, frankly, I am grateful to my collaborators for locating these quotes.
History will know whom to annul
What can I say? History will certainly put everything in its place and know whom to annul, and these will certainly not be the greatest works of universally recognized geniuses of world culture, but those who for some reason have righted themselves to make world culture after theirs to use at will. Your self-esteem really knows no bounds. In a few years, no one will remember their names. But Dostoyevsky will live on, as will Tchaikovsky and Pushkin, much as they might wish the opposite.
The neocolonial model of globalization
Standardization, financial and technological monopoly, the eradication of all differences – these are what underlie the Western model of globalization, which is inherently neocolonial. Their goal was clear: the establishment of unconditional dominance of the West over the world economy and world politics. To this end, the West put at its service the natural and financial resources of the entire planet, as well as all intellectual, human and economic capabilities, while claiming that this is a natural feature of the so-called new global interdependencies.
At this point I would like to remind you of another Russian philosopher, Alexander Zinoviev, whose centenary we celebrate on October 29th. More than 20 years ago, he said that Western civilization, as a means of existence, needs the entire planet and all of humanity’s resources to survive at the level it has reached. That’s what they want, that’s exactly what it is.
Moreover, the West has secured a huge head start in this system from the start because it set the principles and mechanisms – such as the rules today, which they keep talking about, but which remain an incomprehensible black hole because nobody really knows how they are. However, as soon as non-Western countries began to benefit from globalization, especially the large nations in Asia, the West immediately changed or abolished many of these rules. And the so-called sacred principles of free trade, economic openness, equal competition and even property rights were suddenly completely forgotten. They change the rules on the fly, on the spot, whenever they see an opportunity.
Here is another example of the exchange of terms and meanings. For many years, Western ideologues and politicians have been telling the world that there is no alternative to democracy. Of course, they meant the Western, the so-called liberal model of democracy. They arrogantly rejected all other variants and forms of popular rule, and I would like to emphasize this with contempt and contempt. This behavior has evolved since colonial times, as if all people were second-rate while only they were the exception. This has been the case for centuries and continues to this day.
Democratic principles in international relations
At present, an overwhelming majority of the international community calls for democracy in international affairs and rejects any form of authoritarian dictation by individual countries or groups of countries. What is that if not the direct application of democratic principles in international relations?
What is the stance of the “civilized” West on this? If you were Democrats, you should applaud the billions of people’s natural urge for freedom, but no: the West calls it undermining the liberal rules-based order. It resorts to economic and trade wars, sanctions, boycotts, color revolutions, and prepares and carries out all kinds of subversions.
One of them led to tragic consequences in Ukraine in 2014. They supported the coup and even stated how much money they spent on it. They have the audacity to act as they please and show no scruples in anything they do. They killed (Qasem) Soleimani, an Iranian general. Think of Soleimani as you like, but he was a foreign state official. They killed him in a third country and took responsibility for it. What do you mean, for heaven’s sake? What kind of world do we actually live in?
US repression and sanctions even against allies
As usual, Washington labels the current international order as liberal-American , but in reality this notorious „order“ multiplies chaos every day and becomes more and more intolerant even of Western countries and their attempts to act independently. Everything is being nipped in the bud, and they don’t even hesitate to impose sanctions on their own allies who agree with bowed heads to such activities.
For example, the proposals made by Hungarian MPs in July (this year) to enshrine a commitment to European Christian values and culture in the Treaty on European Union were not even seen as an affront, but as an open and hostile act of sabotage. What does that mean? What is that supposed to mean? Some may like it, some may not.
Over a thousand years, Russia has developed a unique culture of interdependence between all world religions. There is no reason to eliminate anything, be it Christian values, Islamic values or Jewish values. We also have other world religions. All you have to do is respect each other. In some of our regions – I know this first hand – people celebrate Christian, Islamic, Buddhist and Jewish holidays together and they like to do so because they congratulate each other and are happy for one another.
But not here. Why not? At least they could discuss it. Astonishing!
On the doctrinal systemic crisis of the neoliberal model
Without exaggeration, this is not even a systemic, but a doctrinal crisis of the neoliberal model of the American-style international order. They have no ideas for progress and positive development. They simply have nothing to offer the world other than to continue their dominance.
I am convinced that real democracy in a multipolar world depends primarily on the ability of each nation – I emphasize – each society or civilization to forge its own path and organize its own socio-political system. If the United States or the EU countries claim this right, then surely the countries of Asia, the Islamic states, the Persian Gulf monarchies and the countries on other continents also have this right. Of course, our country, Russia, also has this right, and nobody will ever be able to dictate to our people what kind of society we should build and what principles it should be based on.
An immediate threat to the political, economic and ideological monopoly of the West is that the world may produce alternative models of society that are more effective – I want to emphasize: more effective, smarter and more attractive than the current ones. These models will certainly come about. This is inevitable. Incidentally, American political scientists and analysts also write about it. Frankly, their government doesn’t listen to what they say, although they can’t help but notice these concepts in political science journals and debates.
Common foundation for the future of mankind
Development should be based on a dialogue between civilizations and spiritual and moral values. Indeed, civilizations may have differing understandings of what constitutes man and his essence, but these differences are often superficial, but all ultimately recognize the dignity and spiritual nature of man. A common foundation on which we can and must build our future is essential.
I want to emphasize something here. Traditional values are not a rigid postulate that everyone must adhere to, of course not. The difference with the so-called neoliberal values is that they are unique in each individual case because they are based on the traditions of a particular society, its culture and historical background. That’s why you can’t impose traditional values on anyone. They simply must be respected, and whatever each nation has chosen for itself over the centuries must be treated with care.
This is how we understand the traditional values, and the majority of humanity shares and accepts our approach. This is understandable, since the traditional societies of the East, Latin America, Africa and Eurasia form the basis of world civilization.
Respect for the customs and customs of peoples and civilizations is in everyone’s interest. This is also in the interests of the “West”, which is quickly becoming a minority on the international stage as it loses its supremacy. Of course, the right of the Western minority to its own cultural identity – I would like to emphasize this – must be guaranteed and respected, but above all on an equal footing with the rights of all other nations.
About not interfering in the affairs of others
If Western elites believe they can get their people and their societies to embrace what I find to be odd and trendy ideas like dozens of genders or gay parades, then so be it. Let them do what they want. But they certainly don’t have the right to tell others to follow in their footsteps.
We see the complicated demographic, political and social processes taking place in western countries. That is of course her own business. Russia does not interfere in such matters and has no intention of doing so. Unlike the West, we mind our own business. But we hope that pragmatism will prevail and that Russia’s dialogue with the real, traditional West and other equal development centers will make an important contribution to building a multipolar world order.
Multipolarity of the world – the real and only chance
I add that multipolarity is a real and, in fact, the only chance for Europe to rebuild its political and economic identity. To tell the truth – and this thought is being expressed explicitly in Europe today – Europe’s legal capacity is very limited. I tried to put it mildly so as not to offend anyone.
The world is inherently diverse, and Western attempts to fit everyone into the same mold are clearly doomed to failure. Nothing will come of it.
Indeed, the vain pursuit of global dominance and, essentially, dictation, or maintaining leadership by dictation, belittles the international prestige of Western world leaders, including the United States, and generally increases distrust of their negotiating abilities. They say one thing today and another tomorrow; they sign and revoke documents, they do as they please. There is no stability in anything. How documents will be signed, what was discussed, what we can hope for – all this is completely unclear.
Previously, few countries dared to argue with America, and it looked almost sensational, while now it has become routine for all sorts of states to reject Washington’s baseless demands, although Washington continues to try to pressure everyone. This is a failed policy that leads to nothing. But let them – that too is their choice.
I am convinced that the peoples of the world will not turn a blind eye to a policy of coercion that has discredited itself. Each time, the West will have to pay a higher price for its attempts to maintain its hegemony. If I were a Western elite, I would seriously consider this aspect. As I said, some political scientists and politicians in the United States are already thinking about it.
In the current conditions of intense conflict, I will address certain matters head-on. As an independent and distinct civilization, Russia has never seen itself as an enemy of the West and does not see itself as such. Anti-Americanism, Anglophobia, Francophobia and Germanophobia are the same forms of racism as Russophobia or anti-Semitism and incidentally also xenophobia in all its manifestations.
There are at least two forms of the west
You just have to be aware that, as I said before, there are two Wests – at least two, maybe more, but at least two – the West of traditional values, especially Christian ones, of freedom, of patriotism, of great culture and now also Islamic values - a significant part of the population in many western countries follows Islam. In a way, this West is close to us. We share with him common roots, even ancient ones. But there is also another West – aggressive, cosmopolitan and neo-colonial. He acts as a tool of the neoliberal elites. Of course, Russia will never agree to the dictates of such a West.
After being elected President in 2000, I will always remember what awaited me: I will remember the price we paid for busting the dens of terrorism in the North Caucasus, which the West was nearly closing at the time openly supported. All of us here are adults; most of you in this room understand what I am talking about. We know that in practice that is exactly what happened: financial, political and informational support. We’ve all been through it.
The West has not only supported terrorism
Moreover, the West has not only actively supported terrorists on Russian territory, but in many ways fostered this threat. We know this. However, once the situation had stabilized and the main terrorist gangs had been defeated, also thanks to the bravery of the Chechen people, we decided not to turn back, not to play the offended, but to go forward, to build relationships with those who are actually against our policy was to establish and develop relationships with anyone who wanted them, based on mutual benefit and respect.
We thought it was in everyone’s interest. Russia, thank God, overcame all the difficulties of that time, was steadfast, grew stronger, was able to cope with internal and external terrorism, its economy survived, it began to develop and its defense capability became better and better. We have tried to establish relations with the leading Western countries and with NATO. The message was the same: let’s stop being enemies, let’s live together as friends, let’s engage in dialogue, let’s build trust and thereby create peace. We were absolutely sincere, I want to emphasize that. We were aware of the complexity of this approach, but we agreed to it.
The West’s goal was annihilation, not cooperation
What did we get as an answer? In short, we received a „no“ in all important areas of possible cooperation. We experienced ever-increasing pressures against us with hot spots near our borders. And what, if I may ask, is the purpose of this pressure? What is it? Is he just there for practice? No of course not. The goal was to make Russia more vulnerable. The goal is to turn Russia into a tool to achieve its own geopolitical goals.
In fact, this is a universal rule: they try to turn everyone into a tool to use those tools for their own purposes. And those who do not bow to this pressure, who do not want to give up such a tool, are sanctioned: all sorts of economic restrictions are carried out against them and in relation to them, coups are prepared or carried out if possible, and so on. And in the end, when nothing can be done, the goal is the same: to destroy them, to erase them from the political map. But it is not possible and never will be possible to conceive and execute such a scenario in relation to Russia.
What else can I add? Russia is not challenging Western elites. Russia merely upholds its right to existence and free development. It is essential that we do not become a new hegemon ourselves. Russia is not trying to replace a unipolar world with a bipolar, tripolar, or other dominant order, or to replace Western dominance with domination from the East, North, or South. This would inevitably lead to another dead end.
Progress has to be made in all directions
At this point I would like to quote the words of the great Russian philosopher Nikolai Danilevsky. He felt that progress does not consist of everyone moving in the same direction, as some of our opponents seem to want. This would only cause progress to stall, Danilewski said. Progress, he said, consists in „traversing in all directions the field which is the historical activity of mankind,“ adding that no civilization should presume to represent the pinnacle of development.
I am convinced that dictatorship can only be countered by the free development of countries and peoples; the degradation of the individual can be overcome by the love of man as creator; primitive simplification and prohibition can be replaced by the flourishing complexity of culture and tradition.
The new world order must be based on law and order
The significance of today’s historical moment lies in the possibilities of a democratic and independent path of development for everyone who opens up to all civilizations, states and unions of integration. Above all, we believe that the new world order must be law-based, free, distinctive and fair.
Abuse of global financial structures must be prevented
The global economy and trade must also become fairer and more open. Russia considers the creation of new international financial platforms to be inevitable; this includes international transactions. These platforms should be above national jurisdictions. They should be secure, depoliticized, and automated, and not dependent on a single control center. Now is this possible or not? Of course it’s possible. However, it will require great effort. Many countries will need to pool their efforts, but it can be done.
This eliminates the possibility of abuse in a new global financial infrastructure. It would make it possible to conduct effective, convenient, and secure international transactions without the dollar or any of the so-called reserve currencies. This is all the more important now that the dollar is being used as a weapon; the United States and the West in general have discredited the institution of international financial reserves. First they devalued them through inflation in the dollar and euro zones and then they took our gold and currency reserves.
About the need for a new fiscal policy
The transition to transactions in national currencies will quickly gain momentum. This is inevitable. Of course it depends on the status of the issuers of these currencies and the state of their economies, but they will become stronger and these transactions will inevitably gradually prevail over the others. This is the logic of sovereign economic and financial policies in a multipolar world.
In addition, the new global development centers already have unmatched technology and research in various fields and can successfully compete with Western transnational companies in many fields.
It is obvious that we have a common and very pragmatic interest in free and open scientific and technological exchange. When we act together, we can gain more than when we act separately. The majority should benefit from this exchange, not individual super-rich corporations.
How does it look today? When the West sells drugs or seeds to other countries, it tells them to destroy their national pharmaceutical industries and choices. Basically, its supplies of machine tools and equipment are destroying the domestic engineering industry. I recognized that when I was prime minister. As soon as you open your market to a certain product group, the local manufacturer immediately goes under and it is almost impossible for them to come back up. This is how they build relationships. In this way, they take over markets and resources, and countries lose their technological and scientific potential. This is not progress, but enslavement and returning economies to primitive levels.
Progress should reduce – not increase – inequality
Technological development should not increase global inequality, but rather reduce it. This is how Russia has traditionally conducted its technological foreign policy. For example, when we build nuclear power plants in other countries, we create centers of excellence and train local staff. We create an industry. We’re not just building a plant, we’re building an entire industry. We give other countries the opportunity to break new ground in their scientific and technological development, reduce inequality and bring their energy sectors to new levels of efficiency and environmental friendliness.
I would like to emphasize once again that sovereignty and one’s own path of development in no way mean isolation or self-sufficiency. On the contrary, it is about vigorous and mutually beneficial cooperation based on the principles of fairness and equality.
If liberal globalization is about depersonalizing the whole world and imposing the Western model on it, integration, by contrast, is about unlocking the potential of each civilization for the benefit of all. If globalization is a dictate – which is what it ultimately amounts to – then integration is a concerted effort to develop common strategies from which all can benefit.
About the great spaces and multipolar world order
In this regard, Russia believes that greater use must be made of the mechanisms for creating large spaces based on the interaction between neighboring countries, whose economies and social systems, as well as their resources and infrastructure, are complementary. Indeed, these great spaces form the economic basis of a multipolar world order. Their dialogue leads to a true oneness of humanity that is far more complex, unique, and multidimensional than the simplistic notions of some Western masterminds.
The unity of humanity cannot be brought about by commands like “do as I do” or “be like us” . It is created by taking everyone’s opinions into account and by carefully examining the identity of each society and each nation. This is the principle that can underlie long-term cooperation in a multipolar world.
Revision of the structure of the United Nations
In this regard, it might be worth revising the structure of the United Nations, including its Security Council, to better reflect the diversity of the world. After all, much more will depend on Asia, Africa and Latin America in tomorrow’s world than is commonly believed today, and this increase in their influence is undoubtedly a positive development.
I would like to remind you that Western civilization is not the only one in our common Eurasian space. In addition, the majority of the population is concentrated in eastern Eurasia, where the centers of the oldest human civilizations arose.
The value and importance of Eurasia lies in the fact that it is a self-sufficient complex, possessing enormous resources of all kinds and enormous opportunities. The more we work to increase Eurasia’s connectivity and create new ways and forms of collaboration, the more impressive results we will achieve.
The successful work of the Eurasian Economic Union, the rapid increase in the authority and prestige of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the large-scale “One Belt, One Road” initiatives, plans for multilateral cooperation in the construction of the North-South transport corridor and many other projects are the beginning of a new era, a new stage in the development of Eurasia. I am sure of that. The integration projects there do not contradict each other, but complement each other – of course only if they are carried out by the neighboring countries in their own interest and are not introduced by external forces with the aim of splitting the Eurasian space and turning it into a zone of bloc confrontation transform.
Many leaders of Europe have made themselves vassals
Europa, the western end of Greater Eurasia, could also become its natural part. But many of its leaders are inspired by the conviction that Europeans are superior to others and that they are not entitled to engage in ventures with others as equals. This arrogance prevents them from realizing that they themselves have become an alien periphery and have in fact turned themselves into vassals without determining their right.
Colleagues,
The collapse of the Soviet Union upset the balance of geopolitical power. The West felt like a winner and proclaimed a unipolar world order in which only its will, its culture and its interests found the right to exist.
Mankind is facing a turning point in world events
Now this historic period of boundless Western dominance in world affairs is coming to an end. The unipolar world is about to become a thing of the past. We are at a historic crossroads. We are facing what is probably the most dangerous, unpredictable and at the same time most important decade since the end of the Second World War. The West is unable to rule humanity single-handedly, and the majority of nations are no longer willing to put up with it. This is the main contradiction of the new era. To quote a classic, to some extent this is a revolutionary situation – the elites cannot and the populace no longer wants to live like this.
This state of affairs is associated with global conflicts or a whole chain of them, which pose a threat to humanity, including the West itself. The main task of history today is to resolve this contradiction constructively and positively.
The symphony of human civilization must be created
Changing epochs is a painful, albeit natural and inevitable, process. A future world order is taking shape before our eyes. In this world order, we must listen to everyone, consider every opinion, nation, society, culture and system of worldviews, ideas and religious concepts without imposing a single truth on anyone. Only on this basis, and aware of our responsibility for the fate of nations and our planet, will we create a symphony of human civilization.
At this point I would like to close my remarks by thanking you for the patience you have shown while listening.
Thank you very much!
a-bigger-bang 