In the author‘s opinion, the most attractive principle of all those put forward by the Russian Federation was and remains a tie-up between international and economic security. This is necessary for the gradual and progressive development of Eurasia and is utterly poignant for all centers of world politics and economics. For example, modern Indian elites often say that it is necessary to follow the following principle: “Together with all, development for all, the trust of all” In other words, New Delhi shows its interest to an external audience in building such a model of global development in which there would be a place for all participants in international relations. And this means readiness for international cooperation involving not only an external but also an internal audience in the formation of economic ties. This is reflected in the relentless urge of the Indian elites to provide the ever–growing population with as many jobs as possible. And this, in turn, pushes people to raise their own standard of living, which the government is directly interested in.
Except that in military and political matters, it is almost impossible to influence the decisions made by South Asian elites. They will not allow either Moscow, Brussels, or Washington to reconsider existing approaches to ensuring military security in the region. However, the Russian Federation bets not on direct interference in the bilateral military–political relations of local elites, but rather on ensuring mutual security so that the interested parties can move away from the contradictions that have hampered their actions for decades, focus on a positive agenda and begin a dialogue on building a pan-Eurasian security system.
Is this scenario ever possible? It seems that South Asian countries will turn a deaf ear to Moscow‘s exhortations. Russia is at an extreme disadvantage on the current global agenda. The country has to cling to any opportunity, grasp at any straw and build a relationship with any partner who is ready to cooperate. With the exception of those countries that have sufficient funds and potential to counter the economic sanctions of Europe and the United States, these include rogue states: North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Myanmar, etc.
How viable is this scenario? It seems that South Asian countries will turn a deaf ear to Moscow‘s exhortations. Russia is at an extreme disadvantage on the current global agenda. The country has to cling to any opportunity, grasp at any straw and build a relationship with any partner who is ready to cooperate. With the exception of those countries that have sufficient funds and potential to counter the economic sanctions of Europe and the United States, these include rogue states: North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Myanmar, etc.
This has completely changed the pattern of international relations for Moscow. It is one thing to build relations with countries that have historical and cultural ties with Russia (here the author means Europe), and have nothing in common with Asian or Latin American states. Yes, political will plays a huge role in this issue, but who will guarantee that this political willpower will not change like the course of a small ship during a big storm in the Pacific Ocean? Human thoughts, the human soul, have an extremely changeable nature. And the will of a politician is even more changeable.
It seems like the Russian Federation is trying to create a Russia–Iran–India axis in order to abandon further dependence on China. And if Moscow can establish itself as an effective negotiator, it will thereby strengthen its position in the new post-unipolar world.
Despite the seemingly deep cooperation between China and Russia, the latter does not like the exclusive dependence on Beijing. But the Chinese understand that so far Russia has nowhere to go and it is, as it were, a strategic ally of China, but it has not yet begun to build the Power of Siberia – 2. Although it would seem that both leaders talk about strategic cooperation, that relations are reaching an unprecedented level. Yes, they are. But this does not mean that Moscow or Beijing should make concessions on key issues for themselves. And the sale of gas to China is one of the key areas of cooperation. Nevertheless, Beijing is not very keen to get into the position in which Russia finds itself and buy gas at a slightly higher price. China wants to take all the cream off this pie. Will Russia let him do it – that‘s the question.
This fact once again confirms the thesis that there are no allies in international relations. There is only a temporary partnership. And how it will be called is a completely different story. Mutual statements that the friendship between China and Russia is eternal are nothing but a farce, since relations between our countries have historically never been friendly. As one of the Russian emperors used to say: “Russia has only two allies: the army and the navy.“
Nothing lasts forever. That is why Russia is most interested in discovering new export markets for itself. It has something to offer its partners: gas, oil, investment projects in the Arctic. The war in Ukraine has opened a window of opportunity for Moscow, which it will certainly try to take advantage of. Will it work? It’s hard to say, but if this adventure proves successful, then the countries of Eurasia, and not the North Atlantic hemisphere, will dictate their will to the world.
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