The XI Annual Session of the Valdai International Discussion Club opened in Sochi today (October 22). The topic of this year’s meeting is “The World Order: New Rules or a Game without Rules?” Around 100 participants from over 25 countries will come together at the Session to work on new approaches to issues on the global agenda. Among those taking part will be RIAC President Igor Ivanov, Director General Andrei Kortunov and Programme Director Ivan Timofeev. As of 2014, the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club consists of the Russian International Affairs Council, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy and the Higher School of Economics. Over the course of three days, leading international affairs experts will discuss issues of global regulation, relations between Russia and the West, and possible ways of resolving the situation in Ukraine. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov are both expected to make speeches at the event.
The XI Annual Session of the Valdai International Discussion Club opened in Sochi today (October 22). The topic of this year’s meeting is “The World Order: New Rules or a Game without Rules?” Around 100 participants from over 25 countries will come together at the Session to work on new approaches to issues on the global agenda. Among those taking part will be RIAC President Igor Ivanov, Director General Andrei Kortunov and Programme Director Ivan Timofeev.
As of 2014, the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club consists of the Russian International Affairs Council, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy and the Higher School of Economics. Over the course of three days, leading international affairs experts will discuss issues of global regulation, relations between Russia and the West, and possible ways of resolving the situation in Ukraine. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov are both expected to make speeches at the event.
In the run-up to the Valdai Discussion Club meeting, the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) has published a report by RIAC Programme Director Ivan Timofeev entitled “World Order or World Anarchy: A Look at the Modern System of International Relations.”
Key quotes from the first session:
RIAC President Igor Ivanov: “The Valdai meeting is of particular value. Unfortunately, for various reasons, nobody has made a concerted effort to tackle the problem of the formation of the world order since the end of the Cold War. The United States, believing itself to be the victor, immediately set about creating a unipolar world; Europe was occupied with the reunification of Germany and the subsequent expansion of the continent through the establishment of a common space; Russia was trying merely to survive; and China was busy dealing with its own problems. Political documents produced after the Cold War do not even take into account the principles on which a new world order could be built. The sooner we start doing that, the better.”
President of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, Fyodor Lukyanov: “In the absence of clearly defined rules that are agreed upon by all sides, everyone is trying to build on what they have. Naturally, nuclear weapons have become the most effective instrument for applying pressure. It’s not a question of whether this is right or wrong – it is simply a fact… People no longer understand jokes, everything is taken seriously. In this respect, the situation now is far graver than it was during the Cold War.”
Rector of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, RIAC
Member Anatoly Torkunov: “… World leaders and the professional analytical community alike have formed the illusory idea the modern world can be controlled in principle. We managed to establish institutes for this very purpose in the 1940s. And despite all the criticism it receives, we still haven’t found a viable alternative to the United Nations… The Ukrainian crisis can only be resolved through multilateral efforts.”
Rector of the National Research University – Higher School of Economics, Yarolslav Kuzminov: “The majority of countries are expected to experience a collapse of their national pension systems. What exactly does that mean? It means the breakdown of the mechanisms of the global stock market. We need to consider the economic and socio-political consequences that this entails.”
The opening of the 11th meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club
