Stephen Lendman

Lavrov is a world-class diplomat, a tireless pursuer of world peace and stability, Putin fortunate to have him as foreign minister.

They deserve joint Nobel Peace Prize recognition, an honor usually reserved for war criminals. Obama is Exhibit A.

On March 3, Russia in Global Affairs magazine published Lavrov’s thoughtful essay, titled “Russia’s Foreign Policy.”

“International relations have entered a very difficult period,” he said. Russia is “at the crossroads of key trends.” He explained Russian history and its “special role in European and global history,” an impressive scholarly account, rare for figures in his position, maybe unique in today’s world, showing he has special stature.

He’s no ordinary diplomat, shaming his Western counterparts, serving his country with distinction, a devoted advocate for peace, democratic values and rule of law principles.

Despite Russia’s importance in European affairs, its member states allied with Washington try keeping it marginalized, weakened, destabilized, contained and isolated - “prevent(ing) it from taking part in Europe’s most important affairs,” Lavrov explained.

Repeated anti-Russian efforts over centuries failed. The nation remains proud and resilient. It’s vitally important “as a leading centre of the modern world, and a provider of the values of sustainable development, security and stability,” said Lavrov.

Instead of working cooperatively with Russia, US dominated NATO provocatively occupies “geopolitical space” near its borders, making normalized relations impossible.

Western policy is wrongheaded, Lavrov maintains. Today’s “globalised world is based on an unprecedented interconnection between countries, and so it’s impossible to develop relations between Russia and the EU as if they remained at the core of global politics as during the Cold War.”

The so-called “historical West” no longer is “the master of the human race’s destinies” - the role it assumed “for almost five centuries.” Transition “to a new international system” changed things.

US-led Western efforts to ensure “global leadership” produces confrontation, not mutual cooperation, the unthinkable possibility of another global war.

Today’s world is increasingly multi-polar. One dominant center no longer applies. US interventionism is hugely destructive, one nation after another raped and destroyed.

“There is virtually no state in Libya; Iraq is balancing on the brink of disintegrations, and so on and so forth,” Lavrov explained.

“A reliable solution to the problems of the modern world can only be achieved through serious and honest cooperation between the leading states and their associations in order to address common challenges.”

Russia’s geopolitical approach “is shared by most countries,” including China, other BRICS countries, SCO nations, and “our friends in the EAEU, the CSTO, and the CIS.”

Moscow forthrightly supports resolving major geopolitical issues “on an equal and mutually respectful basis, (providing) a reliable foundation for a long-term improvement of international relations” - free from the scourge of war.

Defeating terrorism militarily remains a pressing issue, while at the same time working for resolving conflicts diplomatically.

Russia isn’t “seeking confrontation with the United States, or the European Union, or NATO,” Lavrov stressed. It seeks mutual cooperation among all nations.

Either we find a way to live together in peace, or we’ll perish together from a war ending all future ones.

Lavrov ended his thoughtful essay, citing Russian philosopher Ivan Ilyin, saying (in Lavrov’s words) a nation’s greatness “is not determined by the size of its territory or the number of its inhabitants, but by the capacity of its people and its government to take on the burden of great world problems and to deal with these problems in a creative manner.”

Lavrov would add achieving world peace and stability, mutual cooperation among all nations, respect for their sovereignty, and upholding fundamental rule of law principles matter most of all.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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