Thread by @anders_aslund

President Putin's speech at the Valdai Club on Oct 21 is actually turning Russian foreign policy advocacy around. He presents himself as a "moderate conservative" who has realized the limitations of globalization, sounding like Viktor Orban & Trump.
en.kremlin.ru/events/preside…

"First, the coronavirus pandemic has clearly shown that the international order is structured around nation states." = Nation first!
Second, "the scale of change that forces us to act extremely cautiously, if only for reasons of self-preservation." = Don't sanction Russia!

"Third. The importance of a solid support in the sphere of morals, ethics and values is increasing dramatically in the modern fragile world." = Don't come here and talk about human rights & democracy! (words carefully avoided by Putin)

Putin does not attack but pities the poor West: "We look in amazement at the processes underway in the countries which have been traditionally looked at as the standard-bearers of progress."

Putin: "Of course, the social and cultural shocks that are taking place in the United States and Western Europe are none of our business; we are keeping out of this." He goes on to compare the West with the Bolsheviks in their intolerance of "opinions other than theirs".

Next, Putin condemns racism as holier than thou: "Countering acts of racism is a necessary and noble cause, but the new ‘cancel culture’ has turned it into ‘reverse discrimination’ that is, reverse racism...Each of us is a human being. This is what matters."

Then he comes to his conservative creed: "This conservative approach is not about an ignorant traditionalism...moderate conservatism is the most reasonable line of conduct".

"Finally...we need to be realistic...In order to achieve a global solution, states and people have to transfer their sovereign rights to supra-national structures to an extent that few, if any, would accept."
= Don't try to impose any limitations on my dictatorship!