Avoiding oblivion… and rehabilitating humanity

Tariq Marzbaan and Nora Hoppe conduct a fourth interview with Professor Sergey Karaganov on nuclear escalation, US decline, Europe’s crisis, and the search for a post-capitalist model to “rehabilitate humanity.”

Following our first three interviews here, here and here with Professor Sergey A. Karaganov*, we wish to turn once again to this esteemed luminary, political scientist and senior political adviser, to discuss the topics of unheeded warnings of global nuclear war, the Hegemon’s latest imperial acts and projects, the fall of Europe, the bane of capitalism and the pursuit of the rehabilitation of humanity.

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H/M: It is a great pleasure to embark on a fourth interview with you…

To start off… Until now, your warnings and your efforts to prevent nuclear war in Europe through nuclear deterrence have remained unheeded by the deranged European elites, who believe that they are untouchable in their comfort bubbles, as well as by the European populations, most of whom are in a stupefied state… There are also quite a few Westerners who, having even heard about your warnings, have misinterpreted them as the expression of an eagerness “to nuke Europe”.

But Europe now lacks any significant role in global decision-making. And the real danger is emanating from their supreme leader, the US… We have now reached the point where the outbreak of a devastating global nuclear war is increasingly becoming a bitter reality. This danger has also existed in the past (the 1960s), but it was averted by prudent politicians at the time, as well as by the fear that gripped the population. Today, however, there are no prudent politicians in the West, and there is no fear among their populations.

Therefore, your deterrence statements are not only justified but essential. However, as this message fails to resonate in Europe, as the threat has now reached a global urgency, and as the UN and international law have degenerated into useless institutions, what options do you see for this state of affairs?

PROF. KARAGANOV: To begin with, we Russians shouldn’t neglect our obligations toward our people, our nation, even the world, in order to prevent a new world war and to rein in the war-mongers. We have been too soft and indecisive for too long. We have been fighting this global evil that has been unleashed upon us through Ukraine, but we’ve been extremely patient and cautious. And now we will probably be reaching some kind of piecemeal solution for the time being. It, of course, would not be a final peace, but it may be seen as a pause in active fighting.

We would, of course, use such a pause as an opportunity to focus our internal policies on small, promising areas of development and to cultivate the human capital we have accumulated through this war – and that is the resurrection of the Russian spirit, the Russian economy, the Russian people, Russian patriotism. We should continue to regenerate ourselves. But this is not enough.

In any case, it is likely that this conflict will continue with provocations after this stop-gap peace, because most European elites are not yet ready for real peace; they want a state of war, though a war would finish them off as a civilisation and as a subcontinent. But their elites do not care or are not willing to understand.

So, if they continue with their provocations, we will have to go to another level of escalation, and we’re already moving in that direction… But that is not to start a new war like the one Israel is waging against Palestine, which is inhuman… We would have to start attacking valuable targets in those major countries of Europe waging the war: first, with waves of conventional strikes; then, if we get a response, a wave of nuclear strikes would follow – and they should not be tactical strikes, they should be operational-strategic, so that those people will finally understand what they are facing.

We do not expect the United States to come to their rescue, but should the Americans decide otherwise – and I think there is zero chance of that – we would attack targets of theirs on European soil.

I hope that all this will not happen. But to at least prevent this from happening, we will have to deploy more nuclear weapons on the borders of Europe and further modify our nuclear and military doctrine with a clause that stipulates that any war against an enemy that is predominant in terms of demography and economy would entail the automatic use of nuclear weapons. So the main thing is to persuade ourselves that we would have to undertake such a step. As I’ve said many times, the use of nuclear weapons is a sin, because a lot of innocent people would die.

But if we do not stop the descent into World War III, that would be an even worse sin.

In any case, the process continues. President Putin is very cautious, but he recently said that if Europe starts a direct war against us, there will be nobody left in Europe to talk to. So I hope we shall support this step of increasing our nuclear potential against Europe, as well as other relevant deployments.

Of course, we should offer an olive branch to those nations in Europe that do not want to participate in such a self-induced tragedy. And there will be more of them, because we now see signs that this war-mongering in Europe is starting to break down. But it is a long process. And, if and when Europe starts to break down and return to being the “usual Europe” – to being the usual source of instability with conflicts just amongst themselves – that will be a different issue, and it will make it much easier for us to deal with them.

In any case, we will not be able to rest on our laurels after a semi-victory, which we have achieved so far. We must achieve full victory, and such a victory means peace in Europe, and peace in Europe means the removal of all those elites -by their own peoples – hopefully not by our soldiers!

And we are not interested in seizing an inch of their territory because, for us, that Europe is a kind of a historic junkyard, and we don’t want to be polluted by them.

H/M: Does Russia count on any nuclear response from the other side?

PROF. KARAGANOV: Well, first of all, an American response is absolutely ruled out. To have an American response, one would need madmen in the White House who hate America. So, there is no question about that. As to a potential suicidal counterattack by the Brits or the French, who are crazy, this would be answered with a disarming and decapitating strike on them. One sole warhead heading for Russia would be met with a wave of strikes on their cities… and that would mean the elimination of France and Britain. But I hope that we can avoid such a calamity. Also, because I cherish what is left of British high culture and French high culture. And they wouldn’t want that to be obliterated.

H/M: As a fresh start to this year, we have seen a dramatic opening act to what seems to be a serial imperial project: the invasion of a sovereign state, the precipitous kidnapping of a legitimate head of state (President Nicolás Maduro) and the blatant declaration of a takeover and plundering of this sovereign state. According to Trump’s own statements, actions of this kind will soon be taken on Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Greenland… and more to come.

What do you personally make of this behaviour, and how do you think Russia should proceed in light of these actions?

PROF. KARAGANOV: From a purely geostrategic point of view, what is happening there looks like a step toward one of our aims, which has been to bring the United States – without having a direct impact on them and humiliating them – to adopt a more appropriate position, namely that of a key nation in the Western Hemisphere rather than a global hegemonic power, a position they seem to be retreating from.

However, on the way to this necessary retreat – which would also be beneficial for them – the United States is trying to destabilise some other areas of the world, such as in the South China Sea, near Taiwan… and very obviously in Europe still, because the United States may be calling for peace, but it is also still supporting the war there, directly and indirectly.

But, as to what they’re doing in the Western Hemisphere, that is of course outright banditry. I don’t think we should involve ourselves in that particular conflict, but we should create situations to make the residual imperial ambitions of the United States much costlier. I think that sooner or later, the time will come when countries like Russia and others would like to support Brazil in becoming nuclear – to have a more balanced situation on that continent.

As to the Greenland issue, well, that is an inter-Atlantic problem. So let the Europeans and the Americans quarrel over that huge piece of ice. We are not very much concerned over that, though they are talking about challenging us – I mean, militarily, blah, blah, blah, blah. But we could face those challenges easily. (On a facetious side note, they should compare the price of Greenland with the price we gave them when we sold Alaska to them.) Anyway, it’s up to them to decide how they will handle that particular territory. But I’m pretty sure that nowadays it will be extremely hard and much more expensive for them to try to impose a full-scale Monroe Doctrine on Latin America. And they will of course try. But it is their problem.

Nevertheless, we shall continue to deter the United States from all kinds of imperialist policies. But in the end, if the United States will end up dominating that part of the world in a “normal”, non-violent sense, as their sphere of influence, let it be so.

In any case, we are totally against the overthrow of governments. The seizure of Maduro was thoroughly nauseating, and it was even a humiliating act for Americans. Even in prehistoric societies, the abduction of a tribal chief was considered to be absolutely abhorrent and unconscionable. But we do have to deal with those people… They are there. The main thing is to push them out from where we are and let them boil in their own juices. Hopefully, they will come to their senses. I mean Europe and the US.

So, to a certain extent, despite all these metastases of imperial policies in Latin America, the US is retreating from its globalist, hegemonic role, which was imposed on them by their history.

Let us recall that until WWII, the United States was not a very pleasant power, but a “normal power” over there. And it even came a couple of times to the rescue of Europeans – when they started to kill each other – as usual, as they normally do.

Then they were handed a historic opportunity – by mistake – mostly after the Soviets defeated Hitler. But the real “winner” ended up being the United States because they enriched themselves, and they didn’t lose many people. They came out of the war much stronger than anybody else and rose, over several decades. And then after the collapse of the Soviet Union – to becoming the world’s hegemon. But that was an aberration. I think that the United States should be and will be pushed into the position of a normal major power – to become one of “four great powers” in the future constellation, which should help the world to live more peacefully. But it will take time, perhaps about 15 years.

H/M: Amongst other US goals that these acts in Venezuela, in the South China Sea, in Iran are intended to achieve, is the control over most of the planet’s oil reserves – which would significantly hinder China’s further evolution and stop any further development of a multipolar world. What can civilised states like China and Russia do to prevent such actions?

PROF. KARAGANOV: We observe these matters with concern, because they are also waging a kind of economic war against us. But that is going on in their rear guard operations.

China is firmly on the way to become the number one power, and it can’t be stopped for the next 15-20 years. And the Chinese are very cold-bloodedly changing their policies towards more reliance on the countries of the Global Majority and on themselves. They’re changing their technological policies. They are starting to lead in more and more fields of technological development. So, they are unstoppable for the time being. And they have other sources, including from Russia.

Of course, we should avoid a big war, and I think the Chinese will avoid a big war – because if we are with them, it would become a big war. We discussed with them that American provocations around Taiwan and elsewhere are aimed at drawing them into a war before they can become the number one power. We will refrain from getting involved. Hopefully, they’ll have enough wisdom to win peacefully – not a win over the United States, but in a win-win game for all.

Then we may have another problem, and that is if China gets too big and too powerful for her neighbours. We’re discussing how to create a balanced system – a so-called Eurasian Security and Cooperation System. It is an interesting subject for further discussion. Even some European countries in 10 to 15 years might be joining that system – if and when it is built. It is being developed gradually. Then, with more cooperation on the economic, security, environmental, energy and technology levels, it will become more institutional.

You see what is already happening with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, with the BRICS, despite all the ups and downs. We will see that more and more interactions and transactions will be conducted in national currencies and not in dollars. This shows that we are moving in the right direction, and that direction should not and will not be interrupted.

By the way, some Americans have also started to understand that their former dollar pre-eminence is also becoming a double-edged weapon, because it is creating a kind of a “Dutch disease” for them and undermines their own development. Yet, Trump, who is full of contradictions – he’s threatening countries of the BRICS, saying that they should not abandon the dollar-dominated system. Well, he’s a talented man, but he’s facing huge opposition within the country and a lot of turmoil. The question is how to deter him from making terrible mistakes. He does not have my sympathy, but he’s moving the United States in the right direction…

H/M: According to forensic investigations to date, the recent drone attack on President Putin’s residence in Novgorod bears the hallmarks of a CIA undertaking. As these assumptions now seem to be confirmed, how is Russia taking this?

PROF. KARAGANOV: Well, that is really the impression one has. I don’t know whether it was coordinated by the CIA, the BND or the British, but it was a blatant provocation. I think we have been too soft in reacting to these kinds of provocations of theirs. This time, our response so far was fierce. You know that half of Ukraine is without electricity, though I must say that I’m not too happy about that. Of course, we have to punish them, but it is winter and civilians are freezing. Nevertheless, we have to do something to persuade Ukrainians to overthrow their completely rotten compradore and irresponsible, irrational regime. Whether this will work, I do not know. But, as I said at the beginning of our conversation, sooner or later we will have to go up the ladder of escalation and show the Europeans and the others that if they continue, there will be severe punishment. I am criticising my government for procrastinating for too long.

And the sources of evil do not lie in Ukraine, though Zelensky and his clique are an extremely ugly group of people. The source of evil is old Europe, which has been the source of evil for humanity for 500 years: immense wars, two world wars, colonialism, racism, many other awful “isms” and now their post-human values. I think one of the strategic goals of our policy and also the policy of the “international community” is to move Europe away from the centre of the world stage and let them boil in their own juices, which are increasingly unsavoury and malodourous.

However, some of the European nations and many European individuals are normal. They should be invited sooner or later to join Greater Eurasia. We don’t want to isolate the whole of Europe, only Calvinist Europe.

H/M: And what about the United States that is an offspring of Europe and its worst features. They robbed the land of others through genocide, they developed it with slavery and, in their nearly 250-year history, they have only gone 15 years without waging brutal wars against others.

PROF. KARAGANOV: I started my scientific career as a professional “Americanologist”, so I know their history well, and I do not view them through rose-tinted glasses. And I know that they have to be pushed aside.

On the other hand, I know that they are also somehow indispensable, because they are very powerful – economically, strategically and even culturally. So they should be invited to be one of the leaders of equal standing in the world in the future configuration of powers, if and when we come to a new global power concept. With all their sins, with all their many crimes, they are still in the picture.

Europe, on the other hand, is becoming negligible – economically, politically, morally, socially, etc. So it’s better just to push them aside and let them stew in their juices. And there may be some hope that they might recover after decades or centuries. After all, we had a Europe falling into a black hole from the fifth to the twelfth century – their Dark Ages. So, maybe it will be possible for them to recover, but it’s not none of our business, we can only be hopeful.

We still have a lot of people who are still infatuated with old European dreams, but the reality is becoming obvious. And less and less people in Russia are calling themselves Europeans. We, of course, appreciate European culture, but we are very different. And we are starting at last to acknowledge that – with pleasure.

H/M: Indeed, today Europe has nothing more to offer. They have destroyed their own cultures, their heritage…

PROF. KARAGANOV: Absolutely, now they can only offer noxious gases and juices. They have been robbing the world for the past 500 years through their system of colonialism and neo-colonialism, so they have acquired a lot of fat… And Americans are sucking this fat from them with great pleasure – in front of our eyes.

Well, we could still trade with them. Why not? After all, it is in our interest to earn money. So, if and when there is some kind of a ceasefire, we would also like to resume cultural contacts with Europe, especially on the level of high culture.

But other than that… well, there are certainly nice places in Europe which I personally love. However, I’m forbidden to travel there now, and the Europeans are forbidden to travel to Russia. So, other than that, Europe has nothing else to offer. Maybe unpleasant diseases, and less and less markets. And technologically they are starting to lag behind the rest of humanity.

I’ve just returned from China, where the Chinese economists are saying that within the next several years, they will end the European machine-building and automotive industry. And we see that that is already happening. Only Europeans have to be blamed for their mistakes and their ills. But Dante, Shakespeare, Beethoven and Dvořák will still be amongst our composers and writers. Otherwise, we should distance ourselves as much as possible from today’s Europe.

H/M: Many Europeans are actually jumping ship and fleeing their countries now…

PROF. KARAGANOV: You know, we are not a very comfortable country like certain parts of Europe, but many people are heading here and asking for citizenship. It’s a very interesting phenomenon. Most of these people are affluent and with families.

As you know, I am developing a concept of the Siberianisation of Russia which involves shifting Russia’s spiritual, economic and political core toward Siberia… And now, as it is becoming warmer there – not to mention that the Siberian climate is already very healthy – reasonable people from Europe with skills and fresh energies will be welcomed in Siberia, as well.

We are now working on a new demographic policy for our Eastern regions, which includes the integration of a certain number of foreigners, because ultimately, all of Siberia was built by a mixture of “foreigners”. After the collapse of the Mongol Empire, there were tiny native populations. The Russians came and then many other nations. Siberia is the most multinational and most culturally open area of Russia, which, in itself, is also multinational and culturally open.

So there is plenty of space in Siberia, and we are also creating a new concept for the development and urbanisation of Siberia… The urbanisation of such an enormous landmass would not necessitate the construction of high-rise buildings but comfortable, low-rise wooden buildings of one to three storeys. And I think we shall start that in the next several years.

But now, of course, we are still embroiled in a war. It will take three or four years to start the implementation of the Siberianisation project. We’ve already started to develop it intellectually, working out plans, enlisting people for these plans, but the real “shift” will begin three years from now.

I often travel throughout Siberia. It’s fantastic! Of course, it is a bit colder there. But now Siberian scholars are already calling the permanent frost merely a “long-term frost”, because the frost is receding.

H/M: Now to return to unpleasant things, to the war…

We know today that the rise of the Nazi war machine was not an isolated German phenomenon. It was, in part, made possible by the capital, technology, and corporate partnerships provided by major Western (chiefly American) industrial and financial entities for profit. And these complicit entities not only survived after the Nuremburg Trials but went on to flourish… and are still flourishing till this day. And they and/or their “offspring” are the ones fuelling the NATO war in Ukraine (not to mention the Genocide in Gaza).

And, as the saying goes, it is important to “know your enemy”. So how would you describe the true enemy today – those people behind the façade, those corporate and financial entities who are now, as we speak, not only providing the material and technological foundation for Kiev, but ultimately pulling all the strings of the “talking heads” of the US, NATO and the EU?

PROF. KARAGANOV: First of all, many of them are also present on the façade. The real enemies of Russia, and also the enemies of humanity, are quasi-liberal globalists. I even know many of them personally, because I was invited to many of their meetings in the past, where I learned a lot. The problem is quite complex. The Bush administration of the US started to amplify the worst elements of Ukraine, especially since 2003-2004. It happened after they learned that leading leaders of Europe – Putin, Schroeder, Chirac – and others started talking about a continental alliance. Then Ukraine began to be shaped into an anti-Russian state. Openly since the first coup in Kiev in 2004.

But first, the disease lies in the society. Let us recall that the worst dictatorships were also made possible by the people. Let us recall the French Revolution with its mass killings, and let us recall all the Nazis and Fascists. Of course, they were guided, they were backed, but we should not forget that the people themselves also sometimes bear responsibility.

H/M: Of course the people bear responsibility, but the very powerful people, as we discussed before, can still manipulate the masses for their own agendas. And, even if the war stops in Ukraine, the masterminds and string-pullers will endure, just as they did after WWII. So we are wondering how they can be stopped. Because otherwise the saga will just continue or repeat itself.

PROF. KARAGANOV: We cannot stop history, and we cannot put an end to all evil in history. It re-emerged in Europe, which, as I’ve said, has always been the source of evil in the history of humanity.

But let us recall that after the defeat of Hitler, Nazism, Fascism in WWII, not only Hitler and the Germans were defeated, but most of Europe was defeated. Most of Europe had sent troops to the Soviet Union and supplied Hitler’s war machine. The spine of aggression in Europe was broken. They then lived in relative peace for about half a century, but now they have forgotten the lessons and are returning to their habitual ways.

As to the elites in the West, that is a complex matter… I am reflecting on that issue often and focusing some of my work on it. The fact is that modern capitalism – as any form of capitalism, but especially modern capitalism –  is completely devoid of moral constraints and is leading to the degradation of humanity, of nature, of the Earth. And that is a serious problem we have to face and to tackle, not only by military means, though deterrence is needed.

We first need to understand the problem… Even in countries such as China and Russia, we are not yet ready to fully acknowledge and comprehend the problem.

We are faced with the degradation of humanity, which has not only been brought about by capitalism with its emphasis on endless consumption and profit orientation, but also by the Information Revolution and by modern civilisation itself, and, as of yet, we do not have a counter strategy.

It is also a personal matter. We should educate people so that each of us adopts a positive counter-approach to remain human, to thrive in a human environment and to attain wisdom when the endless flow of information and hype try to dumb us down. It is a very serious challenge, which we must acknowledge and tackle.

I’m currently writing an article on our future challenges, and I must say that they are many, many, many… but the greatest challenges are on a higher level, on the highest level. And our great challenge is: what alternative is there to modern capitalism – because our socialism also did not work – and what and how to create a positive offensive strategy to prevent the degradation of the human being and ultimately of the human race. And with the changes in our climate, how do we prevent the degradation of the environment. It may not be preventable but how do we adjust to it. So these are great problems, which very few people wish to confront. But we must, and I am urging my intellectual peers and my government to come forward with foresighted ideas.

H/M: We fervently agree with you that the main challenge today is to find an alternative to the capitalist system! But we would like to ask why a form of “socialism” is not being considered. Why must the notion of “socialism” be discarded? (Communism, of course, has never existed.) After all, the fundamental aims of socialism are: social fairness, cooperation, shared opportunities and resources, meeting everyone’s basic needs… rather than focussing on individual profit.

Just because Soviet socialism was corrupted and failed, does it mean we should condemn all forms of socialism? Has it become a tabu? Can’t it be rehabilitated?

But perhaps we all first need to analyse the Soviet version of socialism – and why it failed, and what were its defects and its positive achievements. We know that its birth was condemned and brutally opposed by all the Western powers, and its development was then blockaded and obstructed throughout the Cold War era, which kept the Soviet Union alienated and thus susceptible to repression and corruption. In addition, Western propaganda (their so-called “soft power” and many other infiltration practices) was extremely effective and had a strong influence on socialist societies. It is therefore easy to see that the failure of what was once known as “real existing, Soviet socialism” was not only due to internal causes, but was also sabotaged and brought about by external forces.

And yet we see different forms of socialism that have persisted in the world today – ones that have not adopted a Western approach but have been adapted to the specific needs and cultural particularities of a non-Western state…

The question is: if we were to live in a (multipolar) world where no external power would interfere in the affairs of others – as has been the case with the West up to now – and where the internal circumstances of a socialist system would be stable and “clean” (no or minimal corruption, no obstructive bureaucracy, no hot or cold wars, no economic scarcity)… would socialism still not be an option? Or… we can ask: what would then speak against socialism? There is currently no other alternative in sight… and waiting for the Archimedean Moment (to find an alternative) could turn into waiting for Godot.

PROF. KARAGANOV: Soviet socialism denied people the right to private property. All socialist utopias by Campanella, Thomas More, etc. were totalitarian. Soviet socialism was also not economically effective. Our vast country could not provide enough food to feed the population. The Soviet Union died also because of its ideological core – the Communist idea-dream gradually lost appeal – largely because of the relatively high level of poverty among the majority of the population.

We have to find the third way – that is post-capitalist and post-communist/socialist. It is not an easy task. I am working on that.

H/M: As you said, today’s global economic system – this financialized capitalism – is at the centre of the most dire problems facing humanity. It affects the human, cultural, spiritual, civilisational aspects of our lives, and as you said, no one is really discussing The System and these problems – not even at the countless meetings and conferences of the BRICS, SCO, etc.

Why do you think these issues are not being discussed?

PROF. KARAGANOV: There are individuals starting to discuss these issues, and, as you know, I brought the issue of nuclear deterrence back to the centre stage. So now I am trying, together with my colleagues, to bring forth the issue of saving the human being and humanity to the centre stage.

It is up to us, we have intellectuals in our midst. It is our sin that we are not discussing this issue and avoiding it by simply refusing to acknowledge it. But we have to face it. And then to discuss it with others, normal people and also people in various circles, who do not understand the problem. It’s not that they are willingly contributing to the degradation of the human being, they simply do not understand the problem.

We are living in the age of economism. We still believe the idiotic notion put forward by – I believe it was Clinton: “it’s the economy, stupid”… But it’s not “the economy, stupid”. Yes, we all have to earn money, and we all have to have a roof over our heads, but our main task is to be human and that means developing our spirit, our mind, and then… and creating a secure world.

We have a “triangle” defining human civilisation – a three-pronged structure of economic interests, of spiritual / intellectual drives and of military force (or some other physical force). Economic factors are secondary, especially now. The first place is now, unfortunately, being occupied by brute military force because of geostrategic shifts and sudden tectonic shifts. But we should pay much more attention to the spiritual, intellectual part of our development. And economy, economists and capitalists (or non-capitalists) should become the servants of our humanity… and not the monsters. The mutual development of humans and nature is what we call “the noosphere”.

H/M: Is there any possibility to organise some international conferences in the near future on this urgent issue?

PROF. KARAGANOV: We are trying. We are thinking about that on several levels. As you know, I am working on this issue and on the so-called “idea-dream” for Russia, which is a new (or, in part, “earlier”) ideological, spiritual foundation for Russian development.

We will continue this work, but unfortunately we are now embroiled in a war, and that distracts our attention for the long term. But I have been sitting here all morning, writing an article… calling for a shift of our focus towards more important and deeper issues such as the intellectual and spiritual development of the human being, as well as the defence of the environment and of course the prevention of war. As a preliminary, the new post-capitalist model of a socio-economic system should aim for the preservation and development of the human being – not only on the individual level ­–  but a human being who serves his or her family, community, country and God. It is not an easy mix. We are also thinking on several levels about creating various new institutions, “post-Davos” institutions. But unfortunately, my time is not endless, and my hands are tied by many other obligations. I have many projects on my desk. But I am also delegating things to younger people, whom I teach and whom I lead. Because older people like us, we have a role to play: to teach our younger generations, to share our wisdom with them, and of course, we should not lose our sense of humour while we’re doing this. We should be bold and humble.

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* Professor Sergey A. Karaganov – a luminary of the Russian Federation with a long, illustrious career, who continues to hold many posts, amongst them: Honorary Chairman of the Council for Foreign and Defence Policy (Russia’s leading public foreign policy organisation) and academic supervisor of the Faculty of World Economics and World Politics of the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow.