Global Policy Forum: modern world and modern Russia dialog

Tags: Commentary, World, Russia, Politics, Yaroslavl forum

Maria Ustyuzhanina

27.08.2010, 19:21

We continue to cover the global forum on “The Modern State: Standards of Democracy and Criteria of Efficiency”. Today Piotr Dutkiewicz, professor at Carleton University in Ottawa shared his view on the upcoming event.

Interviewer: What issues do you plan to discuss at the forum?

Dutkiewicz: There is a plenty of things to discuss at this high-level meeting. First of all that we are not yet out of the last economic crisis. That’s probably one of the most important issues, how the world would look like economically in a few years from now. Secondly, we are in the period where the unipolar world dominated by one country and is almost over. It will take just maybe few years to be broken into the different international order and much more multipolar, if you wish, but probably less stable. So, this is the second major important issue. And the third obviously is Russia and its attempt to make modernization. I believe that these three major themes would dominate discussion during the Forum.

Interviewer: What questions, in your opinion, should be raised at the forum? What are the issues requiring most attention?

Dutkiewicz: At least four of them. One is what would be the contour of the post-crisis new international order. How democracy will look like. And how the economic order will look like in a few years from now. Second is what is the major question and this is very important question after the Greek crisis that is how we can preserve the certain level of world stability or at least regional stability. What can be done in order to stabilize? And a third question which for me is very important. How the Russian transformation may look like. What kind of the arrangement the state will take to modernize Russian economy and also modernize Russian political arrangement. These three, maybe four, questions would be related to the new centers of power and how they will interplay with each other. Probably these four question will be the most important at the current international both economic and political situation.

Interviewer: What are your expectations concerning this forum?

Dutkiewicz: This is a very high-level forum. I believe that the organizers will be managing very well in gathering the best minds not only from Europe but also from other continents. So, this is multinational, multicivilizational, if you wish, high-level gathering. Obviously you cannot expect too much but at least a very frank exchange of opinions. You can expect that new ideas will be tabled. You can expect that participants will be engaged more closely with the Russian counterparts on the key issues related to the new world order and stability of the world. Probably all of us who came from abroad will be able to learn a lot about Russia, because the Russian experts, that will be during the forum presenting the ideas and thoughts, they are very high caliber of the Russian intellect. So, on top of the benefits probably to the better understanding of the current situation worldwide we all expect that we will learn a big deal about Russia as well.

Interviewer: What would be the impact of this forum on Russia?

Dutkiewicz: Depends on what the organizer will decide to do with the papers or ideas that would be presented during the forum. After the forum we will be reporting to our governments, and also we will be writing about the forum in different types of print and electronic media. And the minimum what we can expect is to renew a serious discussion about the new world order. The maximum would be that the participants will form many informal networks and groups that will continue this discussion. I also believe that it will be an interesting outcome if the high-level leaders of Russia will somehow summarize what was done and present their own views on the ideas presented during the forum.

Interviewer: Will this forum encourage deeper understanding of problems that Russia is facing now?

Dutkiewicz: Yes, but it depends on the frankness of the discussion. It depends on the willingness from both sides to be engaged in rather open, if not very open, discussion. It’s also depends on the time being allotted for the debates. During the last forum, the time allotted for the debates was very short. I hope that this year we’ll have much more time to discuss and the participants would be engaged in dialogue rather than in monologue.

Mr. Dutkiewicz believes that a lot of vital issues will be raised at the forum, and he certainly hopes that more time will be provided for discussion this year.

Source: Voice of Russia.