In Russia (but not only, this is also true for Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia), there is still a lot of attention paid to the collective West. In some countries, this could be explained by the fact that Western globalist media continue to actively work there, which constantly feed the attention of ordinary people and provoke interest in events in Western countries or through the prism of the Western worldview.
However, in Russia, where such media agents either left the country on their own, or were deemed undesirable after the start of Russia’s Special Military Operation (SMO), the focus on the Western agenda is held by the state-owned TV channels themselves, and they are imitated by online publications and bloggers. This situation is not adequate to the statements of the Russian leadership about the need to create a more Just multipolar world order, as well as education in line with patriotic values within the country.
After all, if you constantly launch talk-shows, broadcasts and news with an emphasis on the Western world, even from critical positions (among others, look at what another stupid thing Donald Trump said or let’s talk about the plans of the EU and NATO), people will still continue thinkkng in categories where the West is represented as something significant, and despite reports of riots somewhere in Athens or a [gay] pride parade in Amsterdam, there will be a picture of the world where the rest of the regions are, despite their more significant geographical, demographic, cultural and political indicators, perceived as something secondary or even third-rate.
Moreover, it will continue seriously limiting horizons and narrow the potential for future forms of cooperation and interaction, whether it is banal tourism or joint scientific, economic and cultural projects.
Consequently, it is necessary to seriously reconsider the media agenda. On the one hand, to significantly limit the supply of material related to the collective West. To form a certain quota, above which not to give content that highlights events in any way related to the West. Realizing that the West will remain on the international agenda one way or another (the agony and expansionist actions of the EU and the United States will continue for some time), it is necessary to pursue a balanced editorial policy, carefully filtering out materials.
On the other hand, it is necessary to fill the vacuum with high-quality content reflecting the processes in other parts of the world. Content from friendly countries, especially those that have supported Russia in its Special Military Operation (SMO)r efforts, should gradually be introduced into the Russian media space and become the new norm – materials and views from North Korea, China, India, Iran, the Arab world, Africa, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (these three countries are listed as strategic partners in Russia’s foreign policy doctrine) Brazil and South Africa, as members of the BRICS, the EAEU countries must be regularly submitted within the state policy of television and radio broadcasting, as well as print and electronic media.
If we make allowance for the revived Intervision contest, the conclusion of cooperation agreements between Russia’s Ministry of Culture and North Korea, the signing of agreements with African media, as well as work through the BRICS, then such work has already been launched. It needs to be made more systematic, strategically balanced and comprehensive.
Instead of broadcasting the sessions of the European Parliament or intensively covering elections in some European country, it would be better to give an overview of the debates in the Majlis of Iran (Iranian Parliament), with expert comments on the political system of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Shiite theology, and evaluate the technical and economic achievements in Bharat (India’s new name for an international designation that is authentic) and showcase examples of contemporary art from Latin American countries.
Nikolai Danilevsky’s words that Europe is merely a small western peninsula of the Eurasian continent should be perceived not only as a call for self–restraint from the current toxic culture of Europeanness, but also as a step towards creative self-discovery, that the Eurasians talked about a hundred years ago. We have quite a lot of neighbors on the continent, whose cultural and historical heritage is of considerable interest. And from them, connections and bridges lead to other equally important cultural formations – to Southeast Asia, as well as the Maghreb and Mashriq, better known by names that were coined in the West – North Africa and the Middle East.
In a multipolar world, such introductions will be positively perceived outside the West as a continuation of the struggle against neocolonialism and epistemological racism of the West. And the response, to one degree or another, will contribute to improving the global image of Russia, including through an increase in the amount of high-quality content from and about Russia (since a change in approach implies appropriate cooperation in the field of information policy between countries).
Therewith, more comprehensive information will also contribute to the development of creativity within Russia itself, as a variety of forms and practices from different parts of the world will enrich our people with knowledge and stimulate numerous initiatives. The experience of entrepreneurship or self-government somewhere in Asia can be replicated in one of the regions of Russia, and information about the needs in Latin America may be of interest to some of our manufacturers.
The collective West, based on kleptocracy and arrogance, can hardly offer Russia anything useful and substantial due to the ongoing sanctions madness and organized disinformation, as well as due to its own scientific and cultural degradation. Therefore, it needs to be taken outside our information field. Let professional diplomats continue to engage in bilateral relations, and the military – to strengthen the country’s defense capability. Meanwhile the content from the countries of the Global South and the Global East – to strengthen and expand the processes of multipolarity.
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