MOSCOW ESTABLISHES A MULTIPOLAR MILITARY BLOC

Moscow, April 27-28, 2016

The Fifth International Conference on International Security has opened in Moscow. The annual forum is hosted by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The main topics on the agenda are the fight against terrorism, security in the Asia-Pacific region, the security of Central Asia, and the fight against color revolutions.

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Against the West

The main objective of the conference is to offer an alternative to Western views on key issues of international security and world stability. Events of this kind are tools for the formation of a multipolar agenda which involves other centers of power besides just the West. The forum itself does not involve any Western countries’ defense ministers, who traditionally avoid the conference. There are, on the other hand, high-ranking delegates from Iran (including the defense minister) and China. The top Russian speakers include the ministers of foreign affairs and defense, who declared that they are worried by NATO’s anti-Russian actions and plan to respond adequately.

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Against Western values

The forums’ participants openly denounce the interventionist policy of the West and the imposition of Western liberal values on the rest of humanity. The head of the Russian General Staff, Army General Valery Gerasimov, in particular emphasized: "Attempts to transfer the values of Western democracy onto countries with their own mentalities, moral values and traditions leads to the opposite result. The artificial planting of alien ideals led to the explosion of North Africa and the Middle East. "

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Syria

The Syrian issue will be discussed under the topic of the fight against terrorism. The latest round of talks in Geneva on Syria ended without significant results due to the destructive position of the pro-Saudi opposition. Russia has requested that the UN recognize the “Ahrar al-Sham” and “Jaish al-Islam” groups funded by Saudi Arabia and Turkey as terrorist organizations. On April 18, these groups announced the end of their compliance with the ceasefire and launched military operations against government forces. This in effect signaled the failure of the truce in Syria, and coincided with the realization of the objectives which drove the US to press for a truce - the withdrawal of Russian troops, the halt of the Syrian Arab Army offensive near Aleppo, and the guarantee of breathing space, recuperation, and replenished arsenals for militants.

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A Russian-Chinese alliance

In regards to the Asia-Pacific region, the most important issue on the agenda is the South China Sea and the Spratly Islands issue. It is expected that Russia will support China on the issue, thereby demonstrating the existence of a global Russian-Chinese military alliance which should be taken into consideration by the rest of the world’s players.

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Against color revolutions

It is significant that color revolutions are to be discussed as security and even military issues. Color revolutions are being recognized as one of the tools of the network warfare deployed by the West against the rest of the world. The presence of this item on the conference agenda demonstrates that the Russian military command adequately understands the changes in strategic thinking among the military and political elite of the potential enemy.

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Central Asia as Russia’s vulnerability

It is no accident that special attention will be paid to Central Asia, the underbelly of southern Russia and a key geopolitical region for Russia. Any flare-ups in this region, such as the “Uighur problem”, could be used to undermine the security of both Russia and China.