Once again, Russian Foreign Policy seems to have set out to ostracize the West. This time, there’s no subtlety. A 42-page document published on the Kremlin’s website said Russia would ‘oppose all neo-colonist forces with hegemonic aims.’
Of course, this dig was directed towards the United States of America. This feud has been going on for decades now, and while it was dissolved for a few years with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the tension has increased again.
The Cold War Continues
Does the U.S. have anti-Russian policies, as the document states? The U.S. opposed the invasion, considering such an act risks the country’s lives and socioeconomic and sociopolitical state for years to come.
Russia has adopted an anti-West strategy to counteract the forces in the collective West, which they call the ‘unfriendly states.’ Who are these unfriendly states? All countries that opposed the invasion of Ukraine.
Beginning what they believe is the ‘era of revolutionary changes,’ Russia has declared the U.S. as the main instigator of aggressive anti-Russia policies. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov identified them as a threat to the security and development of their country. This ‘hybrid war’ that the U.S. is supposedly creating against Russia is to weaken Russian forces.
Its New (and Old) Allies
On the other hand, Russia is joining forces with those countries that had a more neutral stance on its invasion. India has been an old ally of the country, but the recent visit made by Xi Jinping, the Chinese President, to Moscow has started a new friendship between the two dangerous superpowers with strong socio-political ideologies. The superpowers have both fought off Western dominance before, and India has always been an attractive ally because of its plentiful natural and intellectual resources. With this, an Orient vs. Occident clash is developing.
After being cut off from European markets, Russia has increased trade with these allies. Bilateral trade, technological ties, and investment opportunities are being built between them. But these ‘strategic partners, India and China, have a lot of tension between them. Will the two come together for Russia, or will Russia be caught in the Indo-Chinese disputes? Is this a smart combination of allies?
Russia also plans to reach out to Latin American countries that face immense U.S. pressure. They are building food partnerships, energy trades, and military coordination with all its allies, ironically, while claiming that they aim for ‘peaceful coexistence with the U.S.’ When a historical superpower like Russia, with its immense nuclear power, begins to gear up in such ways, their future political endeavors become a cause for concern. After all, the Russians are seldom known for backing down.
Russia is determined to defend the ‘state-civilization’ they call the “Russian World.” Its special military operations seem more aggressive than defensive, and one might wonder who to side on. These ‘radical changes’ are globally alarming, to say the least.
