‘World on edge of abyss’ – leading political scientist

The world is “on the edge of an abyss” as it undergoes a major transformation, leading Russian political scientist Aleksandr Dynkin has warned, referring to the standoff between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.

The last time the world came so close to catastrophe was 60 years ago during the Cuban missile crisis, Dynkin, who is the director of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations at the Russian Academy of Sciences, told a roundtable in Moscow on Thursday.

Titled ‘War and Peace in XXI century’, the event was held as part of preparations for the upcoming Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize award ceremony.

For hundreds of years the global world order was set in Europe, and more recently in the US, Dynkin stated. However, following the conflict in Ukraine, the international architecture will for the first time be shaped with the participation of Russia, China, and India, he argued, adding that the ‘political East’ will be an equal partner of the ‘political West’.

Unlike the EU and the US, China and India have refused to condemn Russia over the Ukraine conflict. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Moscow this week and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since the outbreak of hostilities in 2022.

The loss of global influence coupled with the “cognitive problems” of current US President Joe Biden could push the collective West to take “reckless” steps and decisions, Dynkin warned.

On Wednesday, Biden opened a NATO summit in Washington by declaring that the US-led military bloc is “more powerful than ever” as it faces a “pivotal moment” in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize will be awarded for the first time in September in Moscow. The prize was named after the Russian author of the revered novel ‘War and Peace’, who was known for his staunchly anti-war views. Tolstoy participated in the Crimean War (1853-1856) and was Russia’s first frontline correspondent.

Panelists drew parallels with the Nobel Peace Prize, but warned that Russia’s alternative to the accolade must not be politicized, referring to the awarding of the 2009 Nobel Prize to then-US President Barack Obama during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.