Russia, the West and the Rest

IMEMO/Primakov Readings Roundtable at the Munich Security Conference on February 16, 2019

The post-Cold War period in international relations, global economy and the sphere of ideas, mainly shaped by the West, has come to an end. The emerging polycentric world order is set to be more competitive, challenging and fragmented. The role of military power in this new era of great power contention is increasing, while traditional arms control instruments are fraying and the risk of unintended military incidents is growing. Relations between Russia and the West showcase this trend better than any other relationship, combining significant elements of confrontation with limited cooperation.
This roundtable discussion will examine what shape the international system will take, what consequences will emerge as a result of the retreat of Western liberalism, whether a new bipolarity will develop, and what the best way forward for East-West relations is under these circumstances.

Moderator: Alexander Dynkin, President, IMEMO

Speakers:

• Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
• Thomas Graham, Managing Director, Kissinger Associates, Professor of Yale University
• Stephen Hadley, Chair of the Board of Directors, US Institute of Peace
• Konstantin Kosachev, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Federation Council, Parliament of the Russian Federation
• Thierry de Montbrial, Executive Chairman, French Institute for International Relations
• Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation
• Natalie Tocci , Director, Instituto Affari Internazionali
• Feodor Voitolovsky, Director, IMEMO