
The Philosophy and Geopolitics of a Multipolar World
The concept of a multipolar world represents an alternative to outdated models of international relations, and opens up new opportunities for global cooperation and development. It is a strategic necessity and a moral choice aimed at a sustainable future for all nations on the planet. These were the conclusions reached by the participants of the session ‘Philosophy and Geopolitics of a Multipolar World’, which was held during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
KEY CONCLUSIONS
The multipolar world is the foundation of international politics
“The philosophy of a multipolar world is very simple. It assumes that we are all equal. The philosophy of a unipolar world, a world of hegemony, assumes that no, that we are not equal. There are people who are better, and there is everybody else. <...> The multipolar world differs from the American hegemony of the unipolar world in only one way, in that we believe that we are equal. We are all the same. We are all human beings. <...> Because we are all part of the same humanity. <...> For that reason, Russia is calling for this multipolar world, and we understand that our multipolar world is not a Russocentric world. It is a world in which all other civilizations and countries have exactly the same right to exist, because we are equal. And we will not allow anyone to consider themselves more important than us and our brothers,” Konstantin Malofeev, head of the Tsargrad Foundation, said.
“A multipolar world presupposes a completely different worldview <...>. Multipolar philosophy denies <...> the universality of Western values. <...> The West is one province of humanity that exists alongside others, we are peoples not of the West. The nations united in BRICS build their world on respect for this polycentric multipolar model. This means that each civilization has its own absolute, not relative, truth. At the same time, we respect each other, we believe that everyone has the right to believe in his absolute. <...> This means that what our society is built on, our traditional values, is not a random thing, but a foundation. Our Orthodox worldview, our monarchist traditions, our search for social justice: we must affirm all this regardless of what the West says. <...> And our task <...> now is to free ourselves and free the West from this global hegemony, which has usurped the rights of peoples,” Alexander Dugin, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Multipolarity Forum, and Director, Ivan Ilyin Higher Political School, said.
PROBLEMS
The unipolarity and desire for hegemony inherent in the West leads to international conflicts and violations of nations’ rights
“We are putting humanity itself at stake. The conflicts that are currently taking place around the world come from a one-pole, unipolar philosophy that challenges us. The political world order, run by the military-industrial complexes, has almost brought us to the brink of disaster. Palestine is a perfect example of this,” Nkosi Zwelivile Mandela, Chairman, International Russophile Movement, and Member of Parliament, Chairman of Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, National Assembly of South Africa, said.
“For the world minority, that is, for the collective West, the norm is not multipolarity, but precisely hegemonism. They are not even shy about it; they paint it as exclusivity, <...> like the principle of the ‘beautiful garden’ in which they live, <...> like the ownership of breakthrough technologies,” Maria Zakharova, Director, Department of Information and the Press, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, said.
SOLUTIONS
The creation and development of international transport corridors
“The One Belt, One Road initiative is a project that has linked countries and peoples together and created new engines of growth with regard to uniting particular ethnic groups, the emergence of new economic zones, and the industrialization of those regions that were initially falling behind. We need to continue to expand the economic part. The North–South corridor is of the utmost importance because it will link Europe, Russia, Iran, and India. Also, roads can extend to West Africa and Central Asia. <...> In addition to transport corridors, in addition to directly linking North and South, we need to add an LNG corridor, which will bring gas from Russia to Turkmenistan and from Turkmenistan to Iran. <...> This will bring extra dimensions to our North–South corridor that will consolidate multipolarity”, Atul Aneja, International Relations Specialist and Editor of The Hindu, said.
“We are not discarding the West, we are getting rid of the hegemony of liberal elites. <...> These perceptions of the absolutes of civilization correspond today to large geopolitical spaces. This is the space of Russia and Eurasia, this is the space of the Chinese world, which includes its extension in terms of the One Belt, One Road projects. This is Akhand Bharat, Greater India, which is also more than one state. It is the Islamic world, which is made up of many countries in Eurasia. This is Africa, a continent that has entered the era of a new, true decolonization,” Alexander Dugin, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Multipolarity Forum, and Director, Ivan Ilyin Higher Political School, said.
*This is a translation of material that was originally generated in Russian using artificial intelligence.
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