Russia-China Anti-Western Friendship Leads to Global Chaos and Russia Takeover
By Irina Severin | 07.06.2012
Putin's three-day visit to China after his demonstrative refusal to participate in the Summit of the developed countries in the United States says that he does have something to discuss with the Chinese leadership. Moreover this is an opportunity to demonstrate to the West that Putin has an alternative. There is no doubt that he feels more comfortable there where nobody recalls of human rights and democracy, what Putin calls unnecessary "ideologization" in relations with the West.
Russia and China signed a dozen of papers during the visit. But it is unlikely to rely on any breakthrough or making public the agreements. In the energy sector, China is willing to offer only half of the price for the gas from the EU countries pay. China's proposition to invest in the development of the Russia's Far East includes a precondition that only Chinese should be employed there by the established companies, who should obtain freedom of movement to Russia.
It is unlikely that Beijing has softened its terms at a time when the third comeback of the Putin -president caused a visible disappointment at the West, which led to a marked cooling between the West and Russia, whose relations have reached a new historic low. Quite the contrary: the requirements of China, carefully following the developments, only grow. Putin himself has repeatedly acknowledged that unlike the Western negotiators, Chinese are very tough and are not inclined to give in.
Putin, demonstrating chutzpa in dealing with the predictable Western partners in China has to keep mum, smile and bow. Moscow is bluffing, expressing the sense of the threat from the West. But Russia does is afraid of the Chinese, whose unpredictability and stratagem approach was cultivated for centuries as a military and state valor.
"Creeping takeover" as prospect of the partnership
Russia is not anymore China's communist "big brother". It is neither a source of a 'scientific and technological progress' nor a successful economic model. For China Russia is a neighboring country, whose natural resources is enough for another couple of decades, given the appetite of Chinese industry, possessor of huge vacant territories at the Far East, which China views as her historic lands as well as a convenient tool to fight "the dictate of the West."
Putin should understand what the partnership with China on Beijing terms means for Moscow a "creeping takeover" by the disciplined and well-organized Chinese. There is no need even for a special arrangements - Russia's corruption and lack of control is enough. Tough Beijing's reaction to the closure of the Cherkizovsky Market in Moscow, where about 60 000 Chinese worked, made clear to the Kremlin that it is no longer in control of the situation even in Moscow, not to mention the Far East, where the Chinese presence is more significant. Then Moscow had to give in and to offer to the Chinese the best trading platforms in Moscow in exchange for the Cherkizovsky market closure, designed as a way to combat the massive smuggling by the Chinese.
All this can hardly speak of a "thaw in relations between the two giants," as reported on the Russia's visit to China by the Western newspapers. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, whose Summit took place these days, only intensified the competition between Russia and China for influence over the former Soviet republics in the Central Asia, which the Kremlin regards as its fiefdom.
Russia's threat to withdraw from the dollar and move to the contracts with China in the regional trade, in practice, can only mean a move to the Chinese Yuan and strengthening of the Chinese position, making the Yuan a regional currency, but not Russia and the Ruble.
Until now, Russia abstained from the Chinese investment proposals. But nowadays, when not only relations with the West does not add up, but oil prices are falling, it is likely that Putin will give up to the Chinese conditions, to strengthen his regime in the country and continue increasing its tacit influence of the West, reflected in the destabilization of Western democracies, corrupting the media and the change of elites in favor of loyal politicians, willing to weaken the West.
Putinization of the West
The West has noticed the "Putinization of Hungary and Ukraine" as a copying of Putin's management model by the countries' authorities. However, rapidly gaining strength Putinization of the West itself, where the West is a passive object of Putinisation goes unnoticed. The process is persistently ignored by the West because of the peculiarities of the Western political culture. In particular, at the West it is considered bad manners to discuss what is known as the "hidden agenda" and what, in essence, is the basis of the foreign policy of the former KGB agent now president of Russia Vladimir Putin.
Putinizaton of West is carried in a latent mode until the moment the critical mass achieved, which, according to the practiced by Russia "politics of fait accompli," must become a point of no return. In particular, this explains the reluctance of Putin to visit the U.S., where the process of "creeping Putinization" is particularly active.
New geopolitical reality
Getting in power of the passionate fringe politian's, loyal to Putin, whose support converts them to the political mainstream, takes Putinisation from the lag phase into the open.
An example of transition from 'creeping Putinisation" into the open is Greece. Emerged out of nowhere after a long destabilization in Greece radical left SYRIZA ranked second in the May elections and promises to lead in the June reelections, threatening with further political and economic destabilization in the Europe. The leader of the SYRIZA Alexis Tsipras' first step is to cancel the Greece agreement with the EU and the IMF, what is the basis of Russian foreign policy, actively promoted not only in Greece, but also in other countries.
Getting in power of political outsiders in more influencial Western countries, would lead to the situation when anybody would challenge Putin on human rights or call to democracy in Russia or China. In essence, this is the new geopolitical reality, coming of which the leaders of Russia and China announced after the first day of talks in Beijing.
Syria as a symbol of Russia and China leadership
Undermining the West, which could contribute to a real political and economic modernization of Russia and strengthen its sovereignty, which was built on the words to the rank of the Russian ideology, Putin, in practice, serves the interests of China, sacrificing Russia and the Russians to the potential dominance of the huge neighbor.
However, the problem is that China is far from being able to provide the world leadership - a burden, which now is carrying the USA. Leadership involves more than just the ability to generate economic growth, which is also based on the Western investments and the Western consumption.
A clear result of the Russian-Chinese leadership today, giving the preview of its potential for the future, is Syria. Putin's partnership with Beijing based on the anti-Western ideology leads to a global scale chaos, the first victim of which, ironically, will be Russia itself. The Law of the Jungle as a practical expression of the Russian "Sovereignty Ideology" replacing the international order led by the Western democracies won't protect Russia from stronger neighbour.
