Rector of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Alexander Yakovenko. Photo: Mikhail Tereshchenko/host photo agency TASS
Why is the West behaving so aggressively towards Russia? What knowledge do Russian international relations experts need today to effectively develop new promising markets, including Africa and Latin America? These and other questions were answered by the rector of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Yakovenko, to the Komsomolskaya Pravda correspondent.
– Alexander Vladimirovich, you have enormous diplomatic experience. For example, you worked as Russia’s ambassador to Great Britain. In your opinion, Russia and the West will be able to coexist peacefully in the future?
– The current aggravation of relations between Russia and the West can be characterized as a kind of end of the “attack on the East” of the historical West that lasted eight centuries. There really is a lot of history in this. Independent Western experts have repeatedly warned that the West is not dealing with the Kremlin, but with historical Russia, with a country that is reestablishing the connection of times and historical continuity in its development and that differs from the West in terms of culture and civilization. terms. This fact simply needs to be recognized. Including ourselves. This is what was done in the country’s Foreign Policy Concept, approved by President Vladimir Putin on March 31 of this year.
There, for the first time, it is said that Russia is a state civilization, and not the only one in the world. These are China and India. There is no tragedy in this, since the world has always been diverse in cultural and civilizational terms. The thing is that other cultures have been repressed for centuries by the dominance of Western civilization, whether colonialism or neocolonial oppression. This domain has exhausted its resources and has become a brake on global development.
For three centuries, we considered ourselves part of a broader European civilization and tried to “enter” it. This was the case in the 19th century and the same after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the USSR. We did not want to admit what the German culturologist Oswald Spengler understood a hundred years ago, who wrote in his “The Decline of the Western World” that there is the West and there is Russia and, borrowing from Kipling, “they cannot come.” together.”
The behavior of Western elites in the last 30 years only shows that they recognize the reason of Tyutchev, who wrote: “Russia, by the very fact of its existence, denies the future of the West.” They see the very existence of our country as an existential threat to themselves.
But no one is going to eliminate the West, as it has eliminated others for centuries. It is simply another civilization with its own values and way of existence, one more region among others. But it will no longer be possible to exist at the expense of the rest of the world.
We must start from this qualitatively new and long-awaited geopolitical reality. Get out of the narrow blinders of Western centrism, broaden your horizon, work conditionally on all azimuths, that is, look at 360 degrees.
Western elites need to finally understand that the world is changing rapidly. With our policies we help them in this, even in Ukraine, which they have turned into an instrument to implement a strategy for the “final solution” to what they call the Russian question. We simply had nowhere to retreat. This finally dispelled the illusion that the West can voluntarily and smoothly transform itself in accordance with the demands of the time.
– The Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry will soon turn 90 years old. Of course, it is a great honor to be the custodian of the best traditions of Russian diplomacy. But in the modern world this is clearly not enough to cope with the rapidly changing reality. What new features can the Academy offer today to increasingly demanding young people?
– We recently opened a new master’s program. The program is called “Foreign Policy and Risk Management.” We are talking about training true professionals, managers who are specialists in foreign policy activities. University graduates with at least a bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, management and humanities come to study with us. The program is also of interest to government officials who need foreign policy knowledge to advance their careers.
There are also law enforcement officers who also need knowledge and skills in the field of international activities. Among our listeners are deputies of the State Duma, senators, employees of ministries and departments, colleagues from the Eurasian Economic Commission. Of course, we are very interested in our graduates from partner countries returning home to know more about Russia, its foreign policy and its position on key issues on the global agenda.
– What is the demand for specialists trained in this program? Where can they find work?
– Opportunities for additional professional growth for our graduates are extensive. Today it is no longer enough to talk about Russia’s turn to the East; It is time for us to move more actively towards Africa and Latin America, to give new meaning to our relations with our closest neighbors in the countries of Central Asia. In an environment of sanctions pressure and fierce competition with Western countries in the political, economic and humanitarian spheres, we need to strengthen Russia’s position in those countries. And this is unthinkable without well-trained staff.
Specialists with basic education often lack practical international knowledge, language skills and regional information to further advance their careers. All this can be obtained within the framework of our program in two and a half years. At the same time, combining study with main work. The class schedule is convenient. It consists of separate thematic modules. This is the uniqueness and value of our course.
And an additional “plus” for graduates of the program are useful business connections between classmates, among whom are representatives of the largest state corporations, ministries and regional departments and administrations of Russia.
– Do you focus on residents of big cities, mainly Moscow, or do you invite listeners from the regions?
– This year it was decided to adapt our program to the regions. For them, the opportunity to acquire knowledge remotely, without interrupting work, is especially relevant. We are planning specific training for employees of regional governments, ministries and departments related to foreign relations. We brought information about the program to all regional heads and mayors of large cities.
