Россия и Европейский Союз в 2011–2014 годах. В поисках партнёрских отношений V. Том 2. М. Л. Энтин

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СКАЧАТЬ кормежкой полегче. И животные поухоженнее. Да и деление на пожираемых и тех, кто пожирает, утратит свою актуальность.

      Глава 5.11. Post-BRICS Reality[42]

      The European Council on Foreign Relations notorious for its tendentious surveys delivered a new report in the end of 2011. This time it was about a possible policy of the European Union and its member states regarding Russia. Not the current, conditionally Medvedev’s, but the one it may become several years after[43].

      The diagnosis of the British researchers is not very comforting. In short, Russia and the Russians have an unenviable plight.

      Judging by the report resume presented by the authors, the country is becoming desolate. The economy is going to ruin. Modern infrastructure has never taken shape. The technological lag is growing.

      The ruling class has failed to elaborate a renewal strategy. The political system is archaic. Stiff. Tainted. Smothering initiative and competition. Political competition included. Stimulating corruption.

      Of all the BRICS states but, maybe, South Africa, and that is not a fact either, Russia has the weakest positions. Therefore its prospects are the most dismal. In fact, the very BRICS does not exist. That is just a misconception.

      So, lie down in a coffin and die. The demands to such Russia are defined in approximately the same tone.

      It would be senseless and losing to argue these theses. There is only one thing – a solid portion of humor – to set off against them. That was the focus of our speech at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs debate on the report. It is up to you to judge how successful we were.

      Let’s start with the main provisions of the speech. Then we will convey the reaction of Italian diplomats, who took part in the discussion, and members of the expert community.

      What Brings Together our Peoples

      The Russians and the Italians have a lot in common. Really, a lot. Just a few examples to support this point. We all love Italy. Madly. Wholeheartedly. The climate. The songs. The culture. The history. We all come from the grand and magnificent Roman Empire and we are its heirs in the civilizational sense.

      We all value high the sense of humor. In literature and in everyday life. We cannot live without it. It is our magic wand. It helps us take the life easy. Ignore absurdity. Overcome misunderstanding.

      Another thing that brings us together is the profound and healthy mistrust of the electronic media, all sorts of reports and sensational publications. We know how often they are sponsored. We have become convinced so many times that they contain a lot of lies, tendentiousness and high sounding nonsense.

      Probably, the only exception is such channels as «Animal Planet”. Let us look at the BRICS, Russia, the EU and our relationship through its eyes.

      Strange Political Creatures

      Everyone has long become accustomed to identify Russia with its emblem. It depicts a two-headed eagle. One head looks one way. The other looks the other way. A little bit of imagination, and you see that one looks towards the East and the other towards the West.

      For all these years Russia has been struggling to cope with the East and the West. The struggle between Westernists and Slavophils, liberals and statists runs through our entire history. That was so in the past; that is so now.

      Yet the European Union is a much stranger political creature. It has even 31 heads. The accession of Croatia will make it 32. It is 33 including the eurozone. Twenty-seven (28) of them are presidents and/or prime ministers of member states. The other five are presidents of the European Council, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the eurozone plus the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

      No matter what, the EU manages to make efficient decisions and to ensure their implementation. That does not happen sometimes, judging by the permanent crisis of sovereign debts from which member states are still unable to recover. The December agreement reached at the European Council meeting in Brussels at the UK expense gave a measure of hope. But it was not complete.

      Against this backdrop the BRICS looks like a cute baby dragon. Just born. With five heads. Our folklore is rich in dragons. According to tales and legends, the good natured monster is special because each of its heads lives its own life. Each has its own outlook. Its own preferences. It is very hard for them to reach consent. But that happens sometimes. And when it does, then…

      The BRICS is a wonderful creature. It was a fantasy at first. A scientific term minted. In reality there was no such structure. Now it not only exists but also develops swiftly. It accumulates negotiating formats. It starts to have a mounting influence on world processes.

      A token of further strengthening of the BRICS is that it gives a lot to its members. In the respect of influence, coordination of positions and approaches, and resolution of contradictions, among them very acute and old impediments of the past. It would be obviously premature to bury the BRICS. It has just begun to show its value.

      Does Russia Belong to Predators?

      All animals on our planet – the international community – may be divided into three groups. The first group unites those who eat the others. They are well known. The second group is those who are eaten. Libya was one of the latest victims. Some others will be next. Finally, the third group is herbivores, which are too big to serve as a lunch or a dinner to predators. Even in a band. Most likely, Russia belongs to that group. I would recommend no one to give up on Russia.

      True, a substantial part of the unpleasant criticism it hears is quite founded. It is about the incomplete reforms, flaws in the democratic system, low efficiency of governing bodies and corruption. But only a part. Too much critique is sponsored. The sponsors neglect an objective analysis of the misfortunes, which fall to our lot, and the achieved, although modest, results.

      Russia is a huge country. Very rich. In the geographic sense. And from the point of view of mineral resources. It has a colossal potential. Natural. Human. Scientific and technological.

      Alas, de-industrialization and degradation to lumpens in the country are fait accompli. But we must not forget that Russia retains the leading positions in a number of promising areas. Such as space exploration, atomic energy or production of certain types of armaments.

      Remarkably, many expensive components of Boeings are made in Russia. This is also the location of some of its design bureaus. Software developed in Russia is used by the largest banks of the world and so on.

      Besides, Russia has turned into the largest market consuming commodities from EU member countries. From foodstuffs to the most expensive drugs. Suffice it to say that Russia is the biggest market for German automobile makers after Germany.

      It looks СКАЧАТЬ