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Author : A. Orlov
Director, Institute for International Studies, MGIMO (U), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian
Federation
THE WORLD is changing fast; it is changing by leaps
and bounds which makes it next to impossible to explain
what is going on and to foresee possible repercussions.
We all know how houses are built: a firm foundation is
indispensable for a solid construction. The former
French president spoke of the principles of representa-
tive democracy as the main element of the foundation
of the "Western house." It remains to be seen whether
these principles have remained intact in the West or were
reassessed or even eroded. As the standard bearer,
Washington insists on them while pursuing the policy
which pushes the world further away from them. The United States and its allies are engaged in the
selfless struggle for universal happiness which has already spread far and wide to all corners of our
planet but have been ignoring the problems closer at home. Indeed, the Western world is changing,
probably not to the best and probably faster than the rest of the world. It seems that not only common
people but also members of the Western elites are unaware of this.
Never before American domination over its allies was as obvious as today. Hegemony is an apt defini-
tion. In the past, the West was eagerly holding forth about Brezhnev's Doctrine meaning the doctrine
of limited sovereignty of the Soviet allies in Central and Eastern Europe. Today, there is enough evi-
dence to say that Western countries, the NATO countries in the first place, have lost part (in some
cases a large part) of their sovereignty.
It seems that every time when the ideals of freedom and democracy interfere with Washington's real
policies they are merely pushed aside. This is best illustrated by the unilateral and unconditional support
Washington and its retinue extended to the unconstitutional and bloody coup in Ukraine. The U.S. and
its allies invariably choose interests and forget their principles. To borrow a well-known dictum of a
classic of political thought of the late nineteenth century, we can say that the Western establishment
treats principles as nothing but the interests as everything.
This contradicts the statements coming fromWashington, which insists that the principles of democracy
have been and remain the reason of interference, including military interference, of the United States
and friends, into the domestic affairs of sovereign states.
Well, so far, the United States has been and remains the only country which used atomic weapons
against another state. It dropped atomic bombs on the heads of the people living in Nagasaki and Hi-
roshima who presented no direct or indirect threat to the Americans. This barbarous crime against hu-
manity caused tens of thousands of deaths; it took Japan several decades to liquidate the effects.
At all times, the best representatives of our people demonstrated high morality and sense of duty and
selflessly served the Fatherland. None of them were cynics or hypocrites; sincerity was one of their
best qualities. I think that for many decades the West was deliberately and purposefully distorting the
image of Russia in an effort to downplay its own moral degradation and the gradual deformation of
the basic principles of Western democracy.
Электронное приложение к журналу «
Международная жизнь
»
Morals in International Politics