Radio Sputnik, Escalation Show Host: We have two major topics planned for today, which are certainly related, even if only loosely. So, I suggest we devote the first part of the program to political issues, complexities, and questions that are—or are not—being resolved. And in the second part, we’ll talk about the modern world, the digital prospects, and those very deepfakes that have become a serious factor in international and domestic politics, challenges, and processes for several years now. We’ll keep these topics separate so as not to mix one with the other.
Strictly speaking, the key topic that will be discussed particularly actively today, as it has been over the past week and will be so in the near future, is the visits to China by the leaders of the world’s leading countries. Donald Trump and his delegation have already been there. Various assessments have been made following the visit, but for the most part, the Western media has expressed disappointment. And all of this is taking place against the backdrop of the anticipation over Vladimir Putin’s visit to China, which coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Harbin EXPO, where Russian regions are being represented in a rather intriguing way. Much has already been said and predicted about this visit, with everyone waiting to see “when it will finally happen.”
What are your expectations for this week in terms of Russian-Chinese relations, within the context of the Russia-China-US triangle, and on a global scale in general?
Alexander Dugin: We are living in an era (we have been talking about this constantly, and in recent years with increasing responsibility and insight) in which the significance of this moment in history is the transition from a unipolar world to a multipolar one. This transition is difficult and dramatic. We are constantly teetering on the brink of nuclear war, as the West refuses to relinquish its global hegemony that it had been consolidating since 1991. Back then, following the collapse of Russia as a sovereign state, we recognized the Western world as our metropolis, effectively accepting the status of a colony. We wanted to be loyal vassals, but we were treated like slaves.
The West has grown accustomed to the feeling of complete control, where it alone sets the rules for everything: from the economy and technology to ethics and culture. It has ruled unchallenged for nearly 40 years, but now there is growing evidence that it cannot cope with this status. In desperate attempts to preserve its dying unipolarity, the West is resorting to extreme measures: waging wars, sowing chaos, and encouraging genocide. We are approaching the final argument—a new type of war with massive casualties or even a nuclear conflict.
Yet despite this, the other two poles—Russia and China—are persistently and consistently asserting their presence, limiting the West’s sphere of influence.
Today’s triangle is the very architecture of the already existing multipolar world. Therefore, Trump’s meetings with Xi Jinping, Putin’s meetings with Xi Jinping, and the recent talks in Anchorage are not merely diplomacy, but a determination of what the future of humanity will look like.
Trump twists and turns, attacks, and retreats: he pretends to be ready to negotiate with the multipolar world, then declares war on it—as in the case of BRICS or the pressure on Iran. He seeks out our weak spots, exploits every opportunity, and is trying to drive a wedge between Moscow and Beijing. This is the focus of both diplomatic efforts and disinformation—the entire arsenal of Network Warfare—to prevent the consolidation of a multipolar world.
And yet, China and Russia are moving toward this goal with great precision and consistency. It is difficult, sometimes involving tactical retreats, but strategically it is the right path. We do not want the destruction of humanity, but we categorically do not recognize Western hegemony. This is our true red line.
When people talk about a multitude of minor red lines—I don’t want to discuss right now why we don’t respond to them. But the question of “a unipolar world or a multipolar one” is where the most important, fundamental, and boldest red line runs. It is a bloody one. If the West decides to impose its hegemony by any means, we will resort to extreme measures—the use of not only tactical but also strategic nuclear weapons, even if it means bringing the world to the brink of annihilation. As our President has accurately stated: either a multipolar world in which Russia is sovereign, or no world at all. This is the only truly important line, and there is no alternative to building a multipolar world. We will build it at any cost, with whatever sacrifices are required. And here, fortunately, we are not alone—on our own, we probably wouldn’t be able to withstand this confrontation right now.
China is moving toward the very same international paradigm. There was a funny clip created by artificial intelligence: Trump is talking with Xi Jinping. Xi sits with a completely impassive face, and no matter what Trump does—pressuring, flirting, proposing something, entertaining, joking, promising, or blackmailing—Xi Jinping remains unchanged. His gaze conveyed only one thing: China is a sovereign pole in a multipolar world, and everything else is just details—we’ll deal with that later.
This unyielding, silent, Confucian will of the greatest ruler, Xi Jinping, clashed during this visit with Trump’s attempts to act cautiously, even somewhat timidly. For this, Trump was rebuked by supporters of globalism and radical hegemony: “What, did you chicken out? Did you give in to Xi Jinping? Did you face the grandeur of a true empire and back down?” But Trump has nothing to say: he came and saw the Pole. You can bang your head against the wall all you want, but China is the Pole.
If Trump had come to Russia, he would have had the same feeling. Yes, we are polite and calm, we are ready for rational dialogue, but we, too, are a pole. And no matter how much you beat a dead horse, we are no less significant, and therefore fully sovereign. We will pursue our own policies in our own interests, grounded in our values, no matter what anyone says or what it costs us.
Another thing is that when Putin came to Alaska, well, he may not have brought his own “pole” with him… After all, when Trump comes to China, it’s enough just to fly over the country, the land, look at this society—and everything becomes clear. It becomes clear that all this hysterical game of raising and lowering the stakes on social media, which Trump has grown accustomed to using to manage world politics, doesn’t work here at all. Xi Jinping’s steely, calm gaze remains unchanged by shifts in tone, proposals, threats, blackmail, or promises.
And we are exactly the same kind of pole. There is complete agreement between us and China that we are building a multipolar world, each in our own sphere. The areas where our interests overlap—where conflicts might arise—are extremely minor and secondary in the face of our principled resolve. Beijing and Moscow are definitely sovereign entities: neither vassals, nor slaves, nor provinces, but independent empires. The West increasingly calls itself an empire—well, so be it: we are an empire, and the Middle Kingdom is an empire.
If the Indians catch up—and they have the prerequisites, even though they are behaving more modestly for now and depend on the West—there will be four poles. Then the conversation among Western leaders will no longer be with two powerhouses, but with three, if Modi behaves the same way as Putin or Xi Jinping. That is where everything is heading.
That is why Trump’s visit to Beijing and the upcoming meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping—all of this is the context of multipolarity. These three poles already exist here and now: they are under attack, under blackmail, under pressure. But every day, as long as we stand our ground, as long as we remain sovereign, and as long as China prospers, the world is essentially multipolar. We are not ready to go in the opposite direction, and we will not do so under any circumstances. Together with China, we are now drawing this bold, red line: the world will be multipolar, or it will not exist at all. It is precisely within this stark framework, under constant attack from the West and its proxies, that we live. A multipolar world is the only architecture of international politics that we are prepared to accept and recognize.
By Alexander Dugin
