Valdai Discussion Club Report - Maturity Certificate, or The Order That Never Was

The more tangled the situation on the world stage, the more radical the changes; and the greater the impact of the factors that were once considered secondary (from technology to societal changes), the stronger the push to understand what lies beyond the bend. [...] From the Concert of Europe in the 19th century to the opposing “axes” of the first half of the 20th century, and from rigid bipolarity of the Cold War to the “unipolar moment” which was declared after it ended. [...] Neo-realists operated on the premise that the behaviour of a state is determined less by its interests than by the structure of the international order which sets the outlines of the strategies. [...] This image of the future entails the preservation and expansion of connectivity between different regions of the planet, and the absence of monopolies in the economy, technology, or politics. [...] The life of the international community should gradually evolve into a state of dynamic equilibrium, where the ability of the global social organism to self-adjust overcomes the challenges associated with the end of an era based on the balance of power and the dominance of the strong.