The world today is changing—rapidly and irreversibly—and is facing numerous challenges driven by the trajectory of several key trends.
First, the strengthening position of non-Western countries, which now comprise the Global Majority, is having a significant impact on global processes. In recent decades, this Global Majority, encompassing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, has played an increasingly significant role in shaping the new international order. These countries have been exhibiting steady economic growth, are actively engaged in international trade and politics, and are making substantial contributions toward addressing critical global issues, such as climate change and social inequality. Thus, they are contributing to the creation of a new global economic order. Within this context, such heightened activity is bolstering interregional links along the South-South axis, which in turn are midwifing the formation of a new international space centred on the Global South.
Second, the international governance and regulatory institutions established during and after the Cold War are clearly in crisis, making them ill-equipped to effectively address contemporary challenges. This is manifested in the lack of effective mechanisms for harmonizing the divergent interests of diverse states, thus blocking the translation of such interstate agreements into concrete actions, even as global challenges continue to snowball unabated in terms of both quantity and intensity.
The third significant trend involves the swift pace of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, particularly as seen in the rapid digitalization of Asia. Innovations in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain technology are radically transforming economic and social structures, and stimulating economic growth, while opening up new avenues for international cooperation and development.
These trends call for in-depth, comprehensive analysis by the academic community, whose role is currently of paramount importance. For Russia, it is imperative to identify potential avenues for cooperation and to map out practical steps for their implementation. Russia’s eastern regions are increasingly engaging in this process, with Russia's ‘Eastward Turn 2.0’ implying a substantial role for Siberian regions in particular. Developing such new solutions will require significant joint intellectual efforts, for which this key event—the VI International Conference: The Global Majority on the Path to a New International Order—marks a critical starting point.
Organiser: School of International Regional Studies, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, HSE University
Conference Programme
Venue:
HSE University
Pokrovka Complex
Buildings A, F and G
11 Pokrovsky Bulvar
Moscow
Event Access Map
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10:00–10:30 am (Rus-Eng) A201 (White Hall)
Opening Ceremony
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10:30 am–12:00 pm (Rus-Eng) A201 (White Hall)
Plenary lecture: ‘Eastward Turn 2.0, or the “Siberization” of Russia’
Dr Sergey Karaganov, Distinguished Professor, Academic Supervisor of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, HSE University; Honorary Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defence Policy
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12:00–1:00 pm A210 (Red Hall)
Coffee Break
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1:00–3:45 pm (Rus-Eng) A201 (White Hall)
Section 1. New International Political, Financial and Economic Order—the Middle East Caucus
Central topics:
- The position of countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region regarding existing international financial and economic institutions (IMF, IBRD, WTO, specialized UN agencies)
- New formats and mechanisms for interaction between states at the global and regional levels, views from Middle Eastern and North African countries
- What are countries in the MENA region expecting from their cooperation with Russia?
- Could the West shift its approach toward greater consideration of the interests of Global Majority countries?
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1:00–3:45 pm (Rus) A208 (Blue Hall)
Section 2. Eastward Turn 2.0: The Asian Emphasis of Russia's ‘Siberization’
Central topics:
- Siberia’s transportation, logistics, resource and industrial potential in terms of sub-regional links (Central Asia, East Asia)
- The domestic economic and political factors driving Russia’s Siberian turn
- Prospects for the ‘Siberization’ of Russia's foreign and economic policy through the lens of Asian partners' perceptions
- Siberia’s ‘soft power’ potential: the prospects and opportunities for leveraging the unique historical and cultural heritage of the Siberian macro-region in the context of relations with Global Majority countries
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1:00–3:45 pm (Eng) A209 (Green Hall)
Section 3. Asian Countries on the Path to Digital Transformation
Central topics:
- Digital transformation: building the theoretical foundation and Asian practices
- Digital transformation of society: global trends and the specifics of Asian actors
- The digital dimension of Asian formats and multilateral cooperation initiatives
- Central bank digital currencies (CBDC) as a priority for Asian countries
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1:00–3:45 pm (Rus-Eng) F201
Section 4. Central Asia as a Regional Subsystem of the Global Majority
Central topics:
- Central Asia – security agenda: external and internal challenges and threats, issues stemming from transnational crime, drug trafficking and religious extremism
- Economic integration and infrastructure formats – the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
- Russia on bilateral Central Asian tracks (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan): priorities, problems, constraints
- The US and EU in Central Asia: the impact of Ukrainian events on the strategy and tactics for engaging the region in the Western anti-Russian strategy
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1:00–3:45 pm (Rus) G202
Section 5. Cohesion of the Collective West: Causes and Limits
Central topics:
- How will the potential outcomes of the US presidential election affect Washington’s approach to its allies?
- What are the factors driving Europe's tight alignment with the US during the Ukrainian crisis? How stable is this consolidation in the mid-term perspective?
- What are the prospects for and limits on ‘dissidence’ within the Western alliance?
- Do Washington’s Asian allies have any opportunities for gaining greater foreign policy independence?
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1:00–3:45 pm (Rus-Eng) F301
Section 6. Social, Economic and Political Factors Shaping the South-South Dialogue
Central topics:
- The rise of the East as a prerequisite for intensifying the South-South dialogue
- BRICS and other formats for interaction in the Global South
- The position of leading developing countries in the South-South dialogue
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1:00–3:45 pm (Rus) G302
Section 7. Methodological Problems in Contemporary Regional Studies
Central topics:
- The theory of Regional Studies: the problem of initial definitions
- Regional Studies within the system of social, humanitarian and economic sciences: boundaries and areas of intersection
- Key approaches in Regional Studies: Regional Studies from the perspective of the most common methodological paradigms
- General and specific aspects of Regional Studies: nuances of studying individual regions
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3:45–4:00 pm A210 (Red Hall)
Coffee Break
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4:00–5:00 pm (Rus-Eng) A201 (White Hall)
Closing Session. The Global Majority and the Structuring of International Multipolarity
Registration
Registration of attendees for the main conference sections
The Honorary Chairs of the Organising Committee
Sergey A. Karaganov
Doctor of Sciences; Distinguished Professor, Academic Supervisor of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, HSE University; Honorary Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defence Policy, a private organisation of 200 heads of business associations, prominent politicians and leading figures in the military, foreign policy, media and culture
Anastasia Likhacheva
PhD, Associate Professor, Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, HSE University
Organising Committee
Doctor of Science, Professor, Head of the School of International Regional Studies, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, HSE University, Chairmen of the Organising Committee
Doctor of Science, Professor, Head of the CCEIS Asia-Pacific Department, School of International Regional Studies, HSE University
Doctor of Science, Professor of the School of International Regional Studies, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, HSE University
PhD, Professor, Head of the Centre for African Studies, School of International Regional Studies, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, HSE University
Working Group
Visiting Lecturer, School of International Regional Studies, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, HSE University
Lecturer, School of International Regional Studies, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, HSE University
Lecturer, School of International Regional Studies, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, HSE University