BEYOND MOSCOW AND WASHINGTON
Ruben Hayrapetian, Moscow
AZG Armenian Daily
24/05/2007
World Geopolitics and Armenia
Prime Minister of Armenia Serge Sarkisian in a number of interviews
to the Russian press adhered to the opinion that Armenia should keep
friendly relations both with Moscow and Washington, which is the
wisest policy for Armenia at present.
Due to outrageous mistakes in Middle Eastern policy the United States
brought down the single-poled political system. On the other hand
Russia, although regaining its former power step by step, is still
very far from becoming the analogue of the Soviet Union of the XXI
century. On the way of establishment of many-poled world political
system the efforts of the EU and the USA to create an integrate
Atlantic market must not be neglected. The latter will by no means
serve to the benefit of Russia.
The West is trying to encounter the growing influence and power of
China. One may think that China is too far from Armenia, as a communist
state from a democratic one. Indeed Armenia should take more heed of
China’s actions, as it seems likely to become the integrating power of
a new geopolitical formation – the "Pacific Alliance", a balance and a
rival of the Atlantic bloc. If in the past century the capitalistic and
socialistic states contested mostly in propaganda and warfare, in this
century their rivalry shall move to the field of economy. The Chinese
model of state capitalism (unlike Soviet communism) is wisely observed
by Putin and seemingly put into practice, as far as possible. China
has already involved in its sphere of influence states like Malaysia,
Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, as well as Cuba, Venezuela,
and Bolivia – thanks to its widespread diaspora and "socialistic
slogans" (finance investments, in fact). China has already forced
the USA out of Japan and Beijing is becoming the number one trade
partner of Tokio. In his turn, Sindzo Abe is rather doubtful about
the USA’s peacekeeping mission in the region and starts thinking of
Japan’s own nuclear program.
The West, having lost the "battle" for Middle East (the Islamic world),
shall try to make alliance (and later take control of) with states
like Russia, India and the Latin American states. New anti-missile
bases in the EU, financing and provocations of the opposition in
Russia witness that the West is already at work. Naturally, the last
Russia-EU meeting was of little success.
In these circumstances the issue of Vladimir Putin’s third presidential
term is becoming more actual.
Perhaps he is the only person of enough authority to reconcile the
two branches of the Russian Orthodox Church, make friendship with
Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan and extinguish "colored revolutions"
brooding here and there. Therefore a noteworthy number of political
powers in Russia consider Putin’s probable resignation of the
"throne" rather as a sign of weakness than expression of frankness
and lawfulness.