Russia and a Just World: How to Overcome the New Bipolarity?

In the struggle for the future world order, various concepts of a just global order collide. Russia’s foreign policy documents emphasize the importance of establishing a world order that is multipolar and based on the dialogue of civilizations, respect for national sovereignty and mutual security. T...

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Main Authors: Andrei P. Tsygankov, Pavel A. Tsygankov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) 2025-12-01
Series:Vestnik RUDN. International Relations
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.rudn.ru/international-relations/article/viewFile/44778/24881
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author Andrei P. Tsygankov
Pavel A. Tsygankov
author_facet Andrei P. Tsygankov
Pavel A. Tsygankov
author_sort Andrei P. Tsygankov
collection DOAJ
description In the struggle for the future world order, various concepts of a just global order collide. Russia’s foreign policy documents emphasize the importance of establishing a world order that is multipolar and based on the dialogue of civilizations, respect for national sovereignty and mutual security. These principles are only partially shared by other participants in international relations, among which the United States and China stand out in terms of their ideological and power potential. Due to the importance of these powers and the growing contradictions between them, the danger of the formation of a new bipolar system of international relations is increasing in the world. The experience of the Yalta-Potsdam system shows the tendency of the bipolar system to ideological and value confrontation and the use of force to resolve conflicts. The emergence of such a system of international relations was the result of fundamental differences in the understanding of the principles of a fair world order by the two sides with the existing parity of military and political capabilities of the parties. The basis of the fragile peace in the conditions of the bipolar system of international relations became the danger of mutual destruction of the parties with nuclear weapons. International rules and institutions, including the UN Charter, proved incapable of guaranteeing peace. Therefore, the main lesson of the Cold War should be considered the need to prevent the very emergence of bipolarity, which could bring the world on the brink of war and even total destruction. This article analyzes the threats of the formation of a new bipolarity in connection with the escalation of the conflict between the United States and China in international relations. Today, these countries have the most powerful material and force capabilities, as well as fundamentally different visions of a fair world. Since the Cold War, the United States has been guided by the universality of its democratic ideals, while China offers a concept of global “harmony” in accordance with the ideals of economic development and the recognition of civilizational differences. The election of Donald Trump as president implies a revision of democratic priorities in favor of confirming the military-economic dominance of the United States in the world. Russia could play a special role in the formation of a multipolar and multilateral order in Eurasia as a prototype of the future world order. The conditions for progress in this direction are associated with strengthening the military-political balance in the region, developing inter-civilizational dialogue, economic openness, and multilateral institutions.
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spelling doaj-art-cd2a323d0fcb4ceab1603b5ebd8a112e2025-08-20T03:28:29ZengPeoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)Vestnik RUDN. International Relations2313-06602313-06792025-12-0125216117610.22363/2313-0660-2025-25-2-161-17621019Russia and a Just World: How to Overcome the New Bipolarity?Andrei P. Tsygankov0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0011-2339Pavel A. Tsygankov1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5726-183XState University of San FranciscoLomonosov Moscow State UniversityIn the struggle for the future world order, various concepts of a just global order collide. Russia’s foreign policy documents emphasize the importance of establishing a world order that is multipolar and based on the dialogue of civilizations, respect for national sovereignty and mutual security. These principles are only partially shared by other participants in international relations, among which the United States and China stand out in terms of their ideological and power potential. Due to the importance of these powers and the growing contradictions between them, the danger of the formation of a new bipolar system of international relations is increasing in the world. The experience of the Yalta-Potsdam system shows the tendency of the bipolar system to ideological and value confrontation and the use of force to resolve conflicts. The emergence of such a system of international relations was the result of fundamental differences in the understanding of the principles of a fair world order by the two sides with the existing parity of military and political capabilities of the parties. The basis of the fragile peace in the conditions of the bipolar system of international relations became the danger of mutual destruction of the parties with nuclear weapons. International rules and institutions, including the UN Charter, proved incapable of guaranteeing peace. Therefore, the main lesson of the Cold War should be considered the need to prevent the very emergence of bipolarity, which could bring the world on the brink of war and even total destruction. This article analyzes the threats of the formation of a new bipolarity in connection with the escalation of the conflict between the United States and China in international relations. Today, these countries have the most powerful material and force capabilities, as well as fundamentally different visions of a fair world. Since the Cold War, the United States has been guided by the universality of its democratic ideals, while China offers a concept of global “harmony” in accordance with the ideals of economic development and the recognition of civilizational differences. The election of Donald Trump as president implies a revision of democratic priorities in favor of confirming the military-economic dominance of the United States in the world. Russia could play a special role in the formation of a multipolar and multilateral order in Eurasia as a prototype of the future world order. The conditions for progress in this direction are associated with strengthening the military-political balance in the region, developing inter-civilizational dialogue, economic openness, and multilateral institutions.https://journals.rudn.ru/international-relations/article/viewFile/44778/24881bipolaritycold warmultipolarityworld orderjusticeusachina
spellingShingle Andrei P. Tsygankov
Pavel A. Tsygankov
Russia and a Just World: How to Overcome the New Bipolarity?
Vestnik RUDN. International Relations
bipolarity
cold war
multipolarity
world order
justice
usa
china
title Russia and a Just World: How to Overcome the New Bipolarity?
title_full Russia and a Just World: How to Overcome the New Bipolarity?
title_fullStr Russia and a Just World: How to Overcome the New Bipolarity?
title_full_unstemmed Russia and a Just World: How to Overcome the New Bipolarity?
title_short Russia and a Just World: How to Overcome the New Bipolarity?
title_sort russia and a just world how to overcome the new bipolarity
topic bipolarity
cold war
multipolarity
world order
justice
usa
china
url https://journals.rudn.ru/international-relations/article/viewFile/44778/24881
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