politics International models unsuited to prevailing “ historical , cultural or religious ” conditions .
Some American participants pushed back against the Russian version of events . Clifford Kupchan , the chairman of the New Yorkbased risk consultancy Eurasia Group , asserted that since early September , Russia had seemingly abandoned a joint approach on Syria in favor of “ extreme violence ” that included the bombing of hospitals and other civilian targets .
Kupchan argued that “ Central Asia also presents a real challenge and a necessity for joint action ,” due to the threat of foreign fighters returning from Syria . He called on Moscow and Washington to work together to “ help regional governments to combat terror ” while encouraging them “ to avoid infringing excessively on human rights .”
A participant from Central Asia , former Kyrgyz foreign minister Muratbek Imanaliev , disputed Kupchan ’ s analysis , maintaining that Central Asia faces less transnational terrorism , religious extremism , and geopolitical conflict than the Middle East or Europe . He insisted that , despite limited defense capabilities and souring economies , Central Asian states “ can definitely promote political , interregional , and interfaith dialogue to find solutions to our common problems .”
While Russian speakers denounced perceived Westernsponsored efforts to promote regime change , many Western participants complained about Moscow ’ s embrace of so-called hybrid warfare – tactics that are most visible in the Kremlin ’ s dealings with Ukraine . Several also expressed alarm about Russian meddling in US politics , notably the Kremlin ’ s alleged support for Donald Trump ’ s presidential bid .
Putin denied that Russia had the ability to influence the US political process and pledged to work with the winner of the November 8 election . Nonetheless , he praised Trump for being a man of the people and accused Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton ’ s team of inventing stories about Moscow ’ s supporting the developer-turned-politician .
Putin also mockingly voiced a wistful desire “ to possess such a propaganda machine here in Russia ” that could sway events .
In recent years , Russia has made progress in “ deconstructing the US-imposed world order ” by joining with China to work on Eurasian-focused political and economic projects , such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Collective Security Treaty Organization , said Russian international relations expert Sergei Karaganov .
Not all the Russian participants fully backed the Kremlin line . Exfinance minister Alexei Kudrin , for example , alluding to Moscow ’ s deepening economic difficulties , noted that Russians could no longer rely on “ old methods and old prescriptions ” to deal with the “ extraordinary ” challenges facing the country . Feedback on : - reporter @ dayafterindia . com
November 16-30 , 2016 The Dayafter
43