Originally appeared strategic-culture.org
Several nations attended the annual Eastern Economic Forum this week in Vladivostok. The gathering shows the power of diplomacy and partnership for multilateral development. If only Western powers could learn.
All the more so because many of the nations attending the EEF have had long-running disputes: Russia-Japan, South Korea-North Korea, China-India, Mongolia-Japan, among others. But the willingness for these countries to engage and promote mutual development is a sure sign of the benefits of diplomacy and multilateralism working.
The main purpose of the EEF – now in its fifth year – is to bring investment and development to Russia’s far east. But the ambitious regional plan, in addition, holds huge promise of the entire hemispheric region. As former Singaporean ambassador to Russia Michael Tay put it this week: “The Russian far east is one of the most undiscovered opportunities for most businessmen.”
This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed separate comprehensive strategic partnerships with his Indian and Mongolian counterparts.
India’s Narendra Modi and Mongolia’s Khaltmaagiin Battulga both remarked how “relations with Russia were at their highest level”.
Putin also hosted Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a three-day visit to Russia, including attendance at the Vladivostok forum.
The Russian and Japanese leaders said they hoped to advance negotiations on the long-running territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands.
India and South Korea also announced that they were forming a major partnership between their respective navies.
Evidently, multilateral relations flourish with mutual development and peaceful cooperation when nations engage in diplomacy and reciprocal respect. Billions of people benefit from the pooling of resources to materially uplift their daily lives, as well as from, ultimately, the dispelling of possible conflicts. All of the nations attending the EEF this week have at some time been involved in combative conduct, including disastrous wars. Yet today it is apparent, and indeed truly hopeful, that multilateralism can win over divisiveness and hostility.
One notable observation from this week was the dearth of reporting by Western media on the Vladivostok conference. Even though delegates to the forum included European investors. For such a major event, involving significant world leaders, to be largely ignored by Western media is unconscionably derelict. Consumers of such media can hardly appreciate the reality of a multilateral world taking shape. Secondly, more cynically, for the Western media to give any normal coverage on the EEF would inevitably confound their stereotypical portrayal of Russia as somehow an isolated, malign power.
Another notable observation is the stark contrast between the multilateralism on display at Vladivostok and the polarizing unilateralism of the United States. Scarcely a week goes by when Washington is not issuing more sanctions against one nation or another. This week, the Trump administration slapped further sanctions on Iran in a blatant attempt to shut down that country’s vital oil shipping industry. Washington even went as far as using bribes and blackmail in a bid to commandeer an oil tanker transporting Iranian export.
It is no exaggeration to say that America’s reckless antagonism towards Iran, China, Russia, and others, is the conduct more akin to that of a Mafia syndicate than a supposed democratic state, never mind the much-vaunted “leader of the free world”.
Sanctions, aggression, bullying and flouting of basic international norms of diplomacy have become the hallmark of the US. Even towards its supposed European allies, Washington has resorted to brazenly slapping them into line. The Trump administration rebuffed a French proposal to extend a $15 billion credit line to Iran, which is yet another American blow to the international nuclear accord. Germany was warned this week by US Senator Ted Cruz that it would be hit with sanctions over the Nord Stream 2 gas energy project with Russia.
If ever evidence was needed to demonstrate how much contempt the US has for European “allies”, there was plenty of it this week.
Yet the Europeans show a weird contradictory deference to Washington. The European Union this week extended sanctions against Russia – sanctions which are harming Europe’s faltering economy; sanctions which have primarily been prompted by the US.
A new era of multilateralism and multipolar development is unfolding whether the Western media acknowledge it or nor. That new era is epitomized by the successful gathering of East Asian nations in Vladivostok this week.
What is also abundantly clear is that the era of hegemony and treating others like vassals is coming to an end. It is unviable, unsustainable and unworthy. The world cannot afford the bickering unilateralism of the US and its European minions.
The world moves on as the US happily isolat3es itself. Courtesy of sanctions and tariff wars.
….. and dumb fuck, ignorant, arrogant American (USA) exceptional attitudes.
If you think you can get rid of US you are all wrong.
In Syria we have said to Putin and Assad that we wont move an inch and we will sabotage everything if Assad don’t make America a partner in the re-construction of Syria.
Japan and S-Korea and Taiwan are all on our pay-roll and nobody can do a sh.t without asking America because we controle those countries and we controle Swift, Visa and Mastercard!
India has always been an Ally and strategic partner, a common wealth country referring to her Majesty, who are doing what we tell them to do.
We also own Australia and New Zealand whereby China is surrounded and cant get anywhere in International free waterways without asking US…………………………..…..LOL.
We have bases in Kazakhstan and Mongolia, we own Rusal in Siberia. US is EVERYWHERE and you guys will need to ask us for permission before you do anything!! Otherwise you will be sanctioned or strangulated………………………………LOL.
You are also a dumbass certified illiterate moron :)
What you don’t realise is that these countries who you claim to “own” does not see the US a world leader but a dictator. In time, more countries will shift their geopolitical stance from the US to Russia and China. We see this happening to big powers like Turkey and India when they defy the US by buying the Russian S-400 missile system even though they were threatened with sanctions and in Turkey’s case to the point that they may booted out of NATO. It is true that the US control Swift which is the only mode of payment for international transactions, however, it can be bypassed by using barter trade which does not require exchange of money. There’s also a possibility that in the future cryptocurrency may be an altenative payment to swift. If there are demand for an alternative payment to swift and is backed by many countries, another mode of payment can materialized.
India and Turkey did as US tolled them, they dont buy Irans oil,
Hard to see the rest about it of importance, because its not even in Your pamplet.
True the finace sector might change some, but most of it will be by more advanced methods by world internet. We also see experiments such as bitcoins. Some also forget states often are less owners then worldbanks being all over.
So Your dominate states(Russia dominates anything in th future makes me laugh) might not even dominate theirnown big pictureand state. Share and stockholders will.
We will see.
Describing hell!
watch it fall dumbass…it already has
The only way to destroy the dumbass Americunt thugs and their Jew masters is to create an inclusive alternate fiscal, trade and economic system devoid of the toilet paper dollar.
Thats not the only way. hard to understand why things working wvery well for main parts of the world shpuldbe destroyed at all. You could join better instead. Actaully thats what Chine does too.
EU going along with US sanctions against Russia, which are against EU countries self interest in both trade and politics, is going to be seen as one of the most stupid policies of all time, a colossal blunder. But Euro-technocrats care nothing for the people of Europe, for them they are only cattle. It is not wrong to treat them as US stooges.
Thats not correct at all.
Normal idiots can see EU only have mild sanctions compared to the ones by USA. Normal idiots also can see in rapports in trade. Fx we today as russians also invest in pipelines for a lot of needed gas.
Your remarks about Eurotechnocrats ispartly true, but they too often are something like that all over. You seemes to ignore 28 states has to agree in, what they has as a job.
Vladivostok, beauty of the east.
The chinese will convert their muslims with Russian vodka, because the Putins use less themselves. In the chinese prisoncamps there will be Jeltsin picturees all over.
A meeting which make sense. Some here below read about USA east West. Its not about that.
Its about UNDERDEVELLOPED or not. Graet parts of China, Russia and India are very underdevelloped and China now might some of it well as being not Mao-Communists anymore.
I wish them luck but not in the hate so many insisting in styaying low show here. You deserve, what You lazybus get even You might learn to blame the chinese in chinese as in stead.