Attempts to discredit the concept of the “Russian world” – a view from Serbia.
Today, Russophobia from the Serbian point of view is exactly what the word means in the strict sense: a phobia (irrational fear) of Russia. What kind of rational or irrational fear of Russia could Serbia have today?
Oleg Nesterenko
After the bipolar world that lasted from the end of World War II until the collapse of the USSR in December 1991, the current conflict on the territory of Ukraine is the center of gravity of the transition process between two eras of modern history: the old – unipolar – which lasted the last 30 years and the new – multipolar – post-hegemonic, born at the end of February 2022.
A Conversation With Tatiana Stanovaya
In a Foreign Affairs article released earlier this month, Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, tallied the mounting stressors on Vladimir Putin’s regime—particularly the short-lived mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner private military company. The rebellion was “the product of Putin’s inaction,” she wrote, and the leniency afforded to Prigozhin afterward made the Russian president look “less powerful.” On Wednesday, Putin may have gotten his payback after all: Prigozhin was listed among the fatalities of a private jet that crashed outside Moscow. Executive Editor Stuart Reid spoke with Stanovaya the same day. Their conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
What It Will Take to Break Putinism’s Grip
On June 17, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin staged a special ceremony on the St. Petersburg waterfront to mark the anniversary of three flags: the flag of the Russian Federation, otherwise known as Peter the Great’s tricolor, formally unfurled in 1693; the imperial Russian flag, introduced by Tsar Alexander II in 1858; and the Red Banner, the Soviet Union’s hammer and sickle, adopted by the Soviet state 100 years ago and later used by Joseph Stalin. Putin watched the event from a boat as the National Philharmonic and the St. Petersburg State Choir performed the national anthem, which, thanks to a law Putin enacted in 2000, has the same melody as its Stalin-era counterpart. The portentous rite unfolded in front of the Lakhta Center tower, the country’s tallest building, as well as the $1.7 billion headquarters of Gazprom, the state-run gas company that has become another crucial symbol of Putin’s Russia.
The attacks by the Fatah-affiliated terrorists came days after The Washington Post published a story from Balata refugee camp, near Nablus, in which its correspondents romanticized members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, even documenting them as they visit their barber for a haircut.
The world’s reserve currency is facing a challenge from Global South countries who want options beyond the greenback.
Johannesburg, South Africa – For 80 years, the United States dollar has dominated all other currencies. But a grouping of developing countries tired of the West’s looming presence over global governance and finance is determined to take it down a peg.
For the five BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) members, de-dollarization has become the latest common buzz-word among the English vocabulary. Long before the highly-praised Johannesburg’s 15th BRICS summit, considered as very important step forward on the way to deepening interaction in the sphere of trade and investment with the nations of Global South, all the five BRICS leaders have made it their priority task to find their own common currency so as not to depend on the United States dollar in the emerging new world.
In light of the second anniversary of the Taliban’s seizure of Afghanistan on August 15th, the global focus has transitioned towards the evolving terrorism scenario in the area. The post-Kabul era has prompted apprehensions regarding the regional security and stability implications.
In a historic South Africa BRICS summit move, BRICS – the association of five major emerging economies, has extended invitations to six more nations: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Argentina. While some laud this expansion as a step towards creating a multipolar world, others are concerned that it might merely perpetuate the old structures of power and dominance, albeit with new actors.
The rise of populism in recent years has been a notable global phenomenon, characterized by charismatic leaders who often capitalize on public discontent and present themselves as champions of the common people against entrenched elites.