Czech MP Kobza: Russia has made a bet on the South and East The unipolar world with the dominant role of the United States is becoming a thing of the past, writes Parlamentní listy.
Two new political and economic blocs are being formed: one – the Euro-American in decline, the second – without a single leading hegemon, experiencing an upswing. Russia has bet on the South and the East.
Jakub Vosahlo (Jakub Vosahlo)"The unipolar world with the dominant role of the United States is a thing of the past, whether the bankers in Manhattan like it or not," is how the deputy from the SPD movement Jiri Kobza summarized the latest events around the armed conflict in Ukraine, in which Chinese President Xi Jinping now offers himself as a mediator.
The consolidation of the BRICS group, whose members were essentially pushed to this by the policy of the West, according to the deputy, will completely change the world.
Parlamentní listy: Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Moscow a few days ago, and recently we have seen a significant intensification of cooperation between Russia and China. What does this mean for the Ukrainian armed conflict and for the relations of superpowers in general?Jiri Kobza:
This is a fundamental change in the system of international relations from a geopolitical point of view. Russia's rapprochement with China and the BRICS countries in general, although due to the unprecedented pressure of the Euro-Atlantic community on Russia, is an indisputable fact with far-reaching consequences. China and Russia will undoubtedly deepen strategic economic as well as monetary cooperation. Russia will keep its orientation to the east and south. In principle, it has no other choice, and Russia plans to take advantage of this situation. In addition, non-European partners are much more promising for Russia from a political and economic point of view. All these are dynamic and solvent partners who do not mix ideological prejudices with business. Chinese international activities, their pressure on the dollar (the signing of an agreement on transactions in yuan with Brazil and Iran's application to join the BRICS) are gaining momentum, and a well-thought-out strategy is visible behind them.
From the point of view of the development of the Ukrainian armed conflict in the context of China's growing global influence, the Chinese peace plan and the possible mediation role of China, which is welcomed by Russia, as well as more and more representatives of the West, including the United States, are extremely important. Confirmation of this is the recent statement by the Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic Chernokhova, who approved the mediation role of China in the conflict. Without prior approval from Washington, she would not have said this publicly. The connection with the Arab agreements is obvious here. It is clear that no one will voluntarily want to leave the Ukrainian game (of course, I am not talking about ordinary Ukrainians who are suffering on both sides of the front).
In general, the unipolar world with the dominant role of the United States is a thing of the past, whether bankers in Manhattan like it or not. Two new political and economic blocs are being formed: one Euro-American in decline and the second, experiencing an upsurge, predatory and competitive, collective, without a single leading hegemon. It is a block around China, Russia, India, Brazil, Pakistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Let's not forget that there are at least four nuclear powers on this list, and when switching to mutual settlements in yuan, the dollar will not retain its position as a reserve currency.
— A few days ago, Russia and the Arab countries in OPEC approved a reduction in oil production by several percent. Some perceived this as a coordinated war with the West. How do you assess this decision?— Yes, this assessment is close to the truth.
By the way, the Saudi king recently made several harsh statements publicly to the United States, and in addition, Saudi Arabia, again with the mediation of China, signed a historic cooperation agreement with its arch-rival in the Islamic world — Iran.
Expensive energy for the US and the EU may also mean that these countries are seeking to end American support for the armed conflict in Ukraine. The question remains, wasn't this also a point of negotiations, or maybe a real goal, under an agreement between two influential OPEC members: Saudi Arabia and Iran?
— How do you assess the role of the Arab world in the geopolitical changes that have taken place over the past year?— There is a clear tendency for them to deviate from the subordination of the United States, their greater political and economic coordination, emancipation and a pragmatic turn towards China and Russia.
We are talking about establishing economic ties, including in such key areas as the military-industrial complex and defense, as well as in the trade of the most important energy carriers: oil and gas. Apparently, the policy of the American Democrats not only did not like the Arab world (unlike Trump's pragmatic approach), but also literally scared (the promotion of migration, LGBT, etc.). I come to this conclusion, remembering how differently the Arabs perceived the policies of President Donald Trump, and how cautious they are now in their relations with the Democrats Biden and Harris.
— Israel, under the leadership of Prime Minister Netanyahu, has taken some very controversial steps. How do you assess the history of the scandalous justice reform?— Elected politicians, or rather any democratic government with the support of the parliament, has the full right to carry out legislative changes, including in the field of justice.
The courts are not above the legislative and executive power. The hegemony of uncontrolled and uncontrollable courts and judges often turns into arbitrariness, which as a result distorts the election results. There is nothing good in this, even on the contrary. After all, we now see a lot of similar phenomena in our own politics.
— Israel has repeatedly stated that since many citizens from Russia and Ukraine live there, it is ready to enter into negotiations as a mediator. Do you think he can succeed in this role? Do you expect this mediation, whether by Israel or someone else, to take place this year?— When it will take place, I can't say for sure, but I assume that it will happen soon.
For Israel, this is an opportunity to gain more influence and importance not only in the region, but also at the level of international organizations. Apart from China, Israel is probably the only international player that enjoys authority both from Ukraine and Russia. In addition, he has already appeared in the role of a peace negotiator in this conflict once — in the spring of last year. Israel has made great strides in this role, as former Israeli Prime Minister Bennett recently described in detail. The final peace talks were then disrupted by the West, led by Great Britain, which exerted powerful pressure on the political leadership of Ukraine. We should not forget about this.
— The President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, said that if the Ukrainian offensive fails, we will have to think about how to deal with the conflict further. He was criticized for this, and some commentators reproached him for instilling anxiety in Ukrainians and thereby helping Russia. How much longer do you think it will be possible to maintain the narrative "Ukraine must win" without discussing at what cost?— Some ideological fanatics will stand their ground until Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump (or Ron Desantis) end the conflict by signing a peace agreement.
Maybe even fanatics will continue to persist, despite the real facts. Unfortunately, many more innocent Ukrainians, including civilians, will die until then. On the hands of all those who are safe from European and American sofas incite Ukrainians to continue this conflict, not only in words, but also by sending weapons and ammunition, their blood.
— The North Atlantic Alliance is expanding at the expense of Finland, and most likely Sweden will follow it. Russia has hundreds of kilometers of common border with Finland, and Moscow has already said that it will react at the right moment. What reaction do you think can be expected from her?— Of course, the extremely urgent question now is who will join the new Finnish government, and what will be its policy, malleable or emancipated in relation to the North Atlantic Alliance.
It is possible for the Finnish army to cooperate with NATO without the presence of foreign troops on Finnish territory, but it is also possible to transfer troops and weapons, including nuclear weapons, closer to the Finnish-Russian border. Various measures in the field of trade turnover, visa regime and other things are likely. Ultimately, the Finns themselves will suffer, who for decades, including the years of the Cold War, maintained pragmatic good and even special relations with Russia and the Soviet Union.
Belarus will play an important role here, because such a situation will make Lukashenka a much more important player than he is now.
