The Multipolarity Forum and Russophile Movement Forum, which took place from February 26-27, 2024, is a unique event that brought together influential experts, activists, politicians and members of the public to discuss key issues in international relations, politics and diplomacy. These forums have fostered dialog and exchange of views on current topics related to global politics.
The Multipolarity Forum discussed the problems of a multipolar world, new challenges and opportunities for global development. The forum participants talked about the role of different states and regions in the world, strategies of cooperation and conflicts, as well as modern trends in international relations.
The forum of the Russophile movement, in turn, is aimed at discussing and popularizing Russian culture, history, language and values. Forum participants discussed issues related to the preservation and promotion of Russian heritage, Russia’s cultural influence, and the Russian language in the world.
Both forums featured highly qualified speakers, discussions, plenary sessions, workshops and roundtables. Participants had the opportunity to exchange experiences, knowledge and ideas, strengthen ties and forge new partnerships. These forums will have a significant impact on global politics, culture and diplomacy, fostering greater international cooperation and understanding.
The Multipolarity Forum and the Russophile Movement Forum are important platforms for discussing contemporary challenges and finding joint solutions on a global scale. Participation in these forums allowed participants to gain a deeper understanding of contemporary processes in international relations and to share their ideas and proposals for achieving peace, justice and development.
According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, there is an increasing substitution of concepts in the world. Freedom, as Western leaders see it, means forced adherence to their understanding of world order and hegemony. Despite what used to be said only about the interests of certain clubs, today all countries, including the Global South and Global East, have equal rights. This has been achieved thanks to Russia’s efforts. Today, the real-world majority gathers not at Western conferences, but here in Russia.
According to Alexander Dugin, today humanity is experiencing significant changes in the civilization process. He advocates the idea of a multipolar world, which is based on the criticism of Western universalism and its racist and imperialist aspects. Previously, Britain claimed to be the center of consciousness of humanity, which led to the establishment of a world with the only acceptable political system, economic approach and culture. Dugin argues that there is a need to move towards diversity and get rid of the monopoly of one country or culture.
Multipolarity is a philosophy which argues that the world is not limited to the West alone, but is a multitude of civilizations. Russia, China, India, the Islamic world, African countries, and Latin America are all distinct civilizations with their own traditions and values. Despite their differences, they do not clash with each other but strive for peaceful coexistence.
Western civilization has the potential for harmonious coexistence with other civilizations, the Russian philosopher argues. Multipolarity is not opposed to the West as a whole, but rather to its claims to exceptionalism, world leadership and universality. The West’s toxic ideology has undermined the national elites of many countries, using them to support one hegemon. Today, however, this state of affairs is on the wane.
Russia is engaged in a deadly battle with the collective West in Ukraine, seeking to resist a unipolar world. Sanctions and pressure from the West are trying to strangle us, but our victory will be important for all of humanity, Dugin argues. China is leading on the economic front, fighting the West. The Islamic world is resisting pressure on religious and family values. Africa is moving from being a raw material colony to a global giant. Latin America continues on the path of anti-colonial struggle, representing all its countries in the forum.
As an example of the new world order, we can cite the unification of representatives of six civilizations out of seven within the BRICS framework. This indicates the formation of an institutional system of multipolarity. At the same time, the West is not unified. The peoples of Europe and the Anglo-Saxon world are subjected to their globalist governments that seek to destroy their cultural and national identity. This remark by Alexander Dugin drew a round of applause. The peoples of the West are not opponents of a multipolar world, but rather victims of the despotism of their elites.
Chang Weiwei, a leading international relations expert in the Communist Party of China, emphasized that the concept of a unipolar world is already outdated. “Unipolarity is outdated. This order will change with the strengthening of the international influence of China, Russia and the expansion of the BRICS by adding countries from the global South and East to the alliance,” he said.
The speeches of Cardinal Vigano and Archpriest Tkachev delivered a verdict on the hegemony of Western elites, condemning their diabolical roots and the private club of Satan-worshippers. They openly criticized the hatred of traditional biblical man, dotting the i’s and calling things by their names.
After the plenary session of the forum there was a division into three thematic sections devoted to different centers of world civilization. During the discussion in the section, “Prospects of the Western World after Hegemony: Is the Salvation of European Civilization Possible?” the participants deeply analyzed the ways of development of Western countries.
Representatives of Italy, Cyprus and Greece spoke in favor of returning the Mediterranean civilization to its roots and getting rid of the influence of the United States. The section “China’s Role in a Multipolar World” discussed the Eastern center of gravity of state-civilization. China, as a country that has achieved prosperity through its unique model of cooperation without hegemony, offers its economic support for the prosperity of many countries. The “One Belt, One Road” global project aims to unite the interests of different states and world development centers to achieve common goals.
A guest from Kyrgyzstan, Valdai Club expert, Kurbat Rakhimov, examined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as an important institutional structure for regional development. He emphasized the need to develop the world without one superpower prevailing over another. Rakhimov expressed the opinion that multipolarity does not always guarantee the absence of conflicts between countries and blocs, and called for striving to ensure that the actions of one pole do not provoke conflicts with others.
The multipolarity forum held in Moscow emphasized that diversity of cultures and beliefs facilitates the exchange of ideas and creates harmony in the development of the global economy. The section “Global South: Changing the Global Architecture” attracted a lot of attention from participants who expressed a desire to unite after a long time of division and to stop the exploitation of natural resources by transnational corporations.
For the representatives of Iran, Yemen and other Middle Eastern countries, it is important to create a new economic model, different from the liberal Western dictatorship of global corporations. They see the battle in the Red Sea and Palestine as having not only military but also cultural and economic significance. African countries have highlighted the fight against terrorism and the pandemic as top priorities. The example of Mali, the Central African Republic and Niger showed that with Russia’s support it is possible to quickly and successfully defeat the terrorists they have been fighting for many years.
The guest from Zambia expressed her desire to quickly overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, taking inspiration from the history of African victories over measles and polio. This requires effective vaccines available through Russian efforts and increased public awareness of the importance of vaccination. She noted that the continent’s current main challenge is the development of the health care system and protection of public health.
The Forum on February 26,.2024 turned out to be productive and allowed participants to exchange views and experiences, as well as to outline further steps to build a more sustainable and just world order.
Sergey Lavrov, speaking at the Congress of Russophiles, emphasized that the development of international relations is an important priority for Russia.
Russia strives to be friendly and open to all countries of the world. We pursue an independent, pragmatic and peace-loving foreign policy, supporting the democratization of international relations in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter. Our efforts are aimed at developing this task through our chairmanship of BRICS, CIS, active work in EAEU, SCO, G20 and other multilateral formats. We are also strengthening ties with regional integration associations.
“Multipolarity is important because it offers the world alternatives. We hope that Senegal will join BRICS. It would be better if the alliance accepts countries that have applied to join as soon as possible,” said Oumi Sen, secretary general of the Kalinka Cultural Center in Senegal.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Jeff Monson also attended the forum and spoke in favor of deepening economic cooperation among the BRICS countries: “If the BRICS countries came to an agreement to introduce a common currency, it would be a very effective step. It could be used for joint trade,” Monson noted.
According to the idea of the organizers of the event, the platform is designed to unite scientists from different countries who advocate the concept of a multipolar world based on mutual respect.
To date, the International Movement of Russophiles actively advocates for the dissemination of Russian culture and humanitarian values.
Anastasia Gavrilova writes from Russia. This articles appears through the kind courtesy of Geopolitika.