Not The Onion: Russian vision of multipolar world includes EU as equal partner -- Lavrov

[Beastly Boy]

This coming from TASS, the Russian government-owned news agency.
https://tass.com/politics/1547011

Excerpt:

"Of course, we would like the EU to be one of the poles of the new multipolar world, it still has all the opportunities for it. The European Union will be able to participate equally in these processes when it realizes that it does not have to say 'I agree' to the United States 100% of the time," he said.

Lavrov, in his benevolent judgement, envisions EU, with its GDP 8 times that of Russia, as an equal partner in his vision of a multi-polar world that only exists in his imagination, provided that EU abandons its current position of equal partnership with the US!

And later:

"But India, Brazil, Persian Gulf countries, regional associations in Africa and Latin America have more reasons to be part of the multipolar world, an equal part, than the EU," the top diplomat added.

No shit! But the question of just how interested the above mentioned parties really are in Lavrov's vision remains a mystery. Note that he doesn't even include China, whose vassal Russia is about to become in short order, in his vision.

And this delusional assessment of Russia's strategic foreign policy objectives is coming from their foreign minster. No wonder they are fucking up so badly in Ukraine.

[Ocelot II]

1. Comrade Lavrov, please put down the bong and step away slowly...

[PortTack]

2. Comes straight from the evil Poopin. He lives in a bigger fantasy world than tfg!

[BeyondGeography]

3. This from a guy whose country can't even make its own ball bearings

[DetlefK]

4. "Multipolar world" is russian-speak for their demand that NATO should dissolve.

Russia is seriously arguing that the world should be multipolar without geopolitical power-blocs... Why are they arguing this?

1. Because Russia has failed to build it's own post-Cold-War power-bloc and now thinks that out of fairness, the other power-blocs should dissolve as well.

There is a failed attempt to build a russian NATO-analog: Two of it's members, Armenia and Azerbaijan, are currently at war with each other.

There is a failed attempt to build a russian EU and Eurozone analog: Kazakhstan is currently moving economically closer to China, because russian politicians and media-personalities keep talking about how Kazakhstan is ruled by Nazis and how Russia needs to invade them.



2. If you are not in an alliance (like Ukraine was...) it's easier for Russia to bully you.

[Beastly Boy]

6. That's part of their thesis, and part of their motives.

But dissolution of NATO has been their goal ever since they were half of the bipolar world order of the Cold war era, and EU didn't exist yet. And here, Lavrov doesn't call for the dissolution of EU either.

Rather, I believe that they are ramping up the multipolar world rhetoric because Russia as an empire is continuing to disintegrate and is no longer a legitimate world power. The Russia as a superpower rhetoric has become too obviously laughable, so they are changing it to the vision of a multipower world order where Russia can still retain some degree of relevance and leverage. Realistically, though, the idea is a fool's dream, and Russia is bound to fail in their attempt to retain relevance even in Lavrov's vision of multipolar world's best case scenario. It's just that they have nothing better to delude themselves and their people with, and they can't admit to themselves, at least not publicly, that the continued demise of Russia is inevitable.

[Harker]

5. Are the Poles a pole in his multipolar world? n/t

[Beastly Boy]

8. Depends on the polarity of the Poles' pole at the time

of Russia's rush to Russify the Poles.

[Harker]

9. I need to sit down. n/t

[brush]

7. He's a dinosaur still envisuing a Soviet Union world...

view when the USSR was seen as a powerhouse equal to the West, and with a feared military.

That time has long since passed. It's wishful thinking on his and Putin's part.

[Martin68]

10. Bullshit!

Just look at how Russia undermined Germany and successfully got them to support and pay for pipeline Russia could turn off and one at will. No one is falling for Lavrov's scam.

[GregariousGroundhog]

12. Gazprom owned and financed 50% of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Shell, OMV, Engie, and Uniper owned the other 50%. Not that only Uniper is German; Shell is British, OMV is Austria, and Engie is French. I couldn't find statistics on how the 50% is split between Shell, OMV, Engie, and Uniper.

[Marcuse]

11. Behave yourself, stop invading your neighbors!