Putin and the new balance The formation of a multipolar world is evidenced by the "new quartet" represented by Russia and China on the one hand and Turkey and Iran on the other, writes Al-Quds Al-Arabi.
The main question is how the international community will maintain a balance between the new poles.
Pierre Louis Raymond Many rightly believe that the statements about a "multipolar world" made recently by the Russian leader can be attributed to the usual propaganda statements of the Kremlin.
I cannot say that Putin is right, nor that Zelensky is right. My words echo the position of most Arab countries. We can say that "they chose not to choose," but it is better to say: "they anticipate the future by remembering the lessons of the past."
Many Arab countries share strategic interests with Russia not only economically, but also in geopolitical terms, because, according to Putin, the world is now actively forming a "multipolar system that will put an end to American hegemony." It should be noted that this idea was not born now, but is rooted in the past. In 1961, the first Conference of Non-Aligned Countries was held, initiated by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and Prime Minister of independent India Jawaharlal Nehru. Their actions eventually led to the emergence of alliances, such as BRICS and ECOWAS, competing with the Western camp and its blocs.
Putin chose the Army-2022 forum to consider the topic of "poles" (which is a geopolitical issue) from the point of view of military cooperation, because it gives him an excellent opportunity to activate the blocks that contribute to the establishment of a new world order. But this is not what we used to call the "new world order" in modern history, that is, the strengthening of the global economic and political hegemony of the United States after the end of the Cold War.
The analysis of the topics of "military industry and cooperation" and "creation of new models of weapons and equipment" fits into the joint Russian-Chinese vision of collective security. We should not forget about the activation of alliances, blocs and organizations that contribute to the establishment of new balances, such as, for example, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Russia and China are united in a war for influence because their interests overlap. It all started with the reunification of Crimea with Russia and continued with the conflict over Ukraine. Beijing recently conducted naval exercises in the East China Sea in response to the visit of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. Militarization is just the tip of the iceberg.
Another pole imposing a "modern reading" of history is the so-called "new quartet" represented by Russia and China on the one hand and Turkey and Iran on the other.
Turkey turned into a strong regional player about ten years ago, that is, since the beginning of the war in Syria. Its geostrategic influence affected the solution of the "Kurdish issue", in which it never went beyond the framework outlined by the Astana and Sochi agreements. By the way, they can be interpreted as Russia's tacit permission for the free movement of Turkish forces in the Kurdish areas in northeastern Syria.
Turkey has also entered into a fierce dispute with the Europeans to prevent the arrival of Syrian refugees on its territory. Besides, she's playing a double game. Ankara is using the Russian-Ukrainian conflict to its advantage. On the one hand, it provides military support to Kiev, and on the other hand, it refuses to impose sanctions against Moscow.
Turkey is involved in almost all regional crises, which makes it an important player and strengthens its position in NATO. The alliance member countries need Turkish support to implement the main geostrategic decisions in the region, but they also have to constantly make concessions to Ankara, which draws its influence from the constant fluctuations between the western and eastern camps.
The rise of Iran as a regional power outlines the features of the agenda that the West cannot ignore. For example, he should start conducting official business with Tehran and gradually lift sanctions against it. First of all, we are talking about the permission to export Iranian oil in the context of the new global "oil and gas equation".
If Putin has declared "the end of American hegemony," then it is necessary to declare the end of what George W. Bush called the "axis of evil."
Talk about multipolarity and economic competition, even if tough, should not bother the international community. Competition is productive when it is honest. But the main question is how the international community will be able to maintain a balance between the poles so as not to slip back into the reign of terror?
