The End of Laissez-Faire: Russia’s Attempt at Reshaping the World Economy
BY RAMZY BAROUD
Starting on May 31, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov embarked on
a tour to Gulf Cooperation Council countries, where he visited Bahrain, Saudi
Arabia, United Arab Emirates, among others. Lavrov’s main objective of these
visits is to strengthen ties between Russia and GCC nations amid a global race
for geopolitical dominance.
The Middle East, especially the Gulf region, is vital for the current global
economic order and is equally critical for any future reshaping of that order.
If Moscow is to succeed in redefining the role of Arab economies vis-a-vis
the global economy, it would most likely succeed in ensuring that a multipolar
economic world takes form.
The geopolitical reordering of the world cannot simply be achieved through
war or challenging the West’s political influence in its various global domains.
The economic component is possibly the most significant of the ongoing tug
of war between Russia and its western detractors.
Prior to the Russia-Ukraine war, any conversation on the need to challenge or
redefine globalization was confined largely to academic circles. The war made
that theoretical conversation a tangible, urgent one. The US, European,
western support for Kyiv has little to do with Ukraine’s sovereignty and
independence and everything to do with the real anxiety that a Russian success
will demolish or, at least, seriously damage, the current version of economic
globalization as envisaged by the US and its allies.
・have little to do with
〜とほとんど関係ない
have everything to do with
〜と大いに関係がある、〔主語を〕〜と切り離す［切り離して考える］ことはできない
envisage
1.〈文〉〔〜と〕予想［予測］する
I don't envisage the economy recovering quickly.
私は景気が急速に回復しないと予想している。
2.〈文〉〔〜を〕心に描く、〔〜を〕想像する
Did you ever envisage that your book might be translated into different languages?
自分の本がいろいろな国の言葉に翻訳されると予想されましたか？
3.〈文〉〔as以下であると〜を〕見なす、考える
発音 envízidʒ インヴィジジ、インヴィズィジ、エンヴィズィジ
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the world was
no longer a contested space between two military superpowers – NATO vs Warsaw
Pact – and two massive economic camps – US vs USSR. We often speak about the
American invasion of Panama (1989) and war in Iraq (1990), to demarcate the
uncontested American ascendency in global affairs. What we often omit is that
the military and geopolitical component of this war was accompanied by an
economic one.
As Panama and Iraq were meant to demonstrate US military dominance, the
establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1994-5, was meant to
illustrate Washington’s economic outlook in this new world order.
Though unprecedented in their scale and ferocity, the anti-WTO protests in
Seattle in 1999 seemed like a desperate attempt at reversing the alarming
trend in the world’s economic affairs. Though successful in demonstrating the
power of civil society at work, the protests have failed to produce any real,
lasting outcomes. In the US/Western-centered definition of globalization,
smaller countries had little bargaining power.
While rich countries successfully negotiated many privileges for their own
industries, much of the Global South was left with no other option but to play
by the West’s rules. The Americans spoke of free trade and open markets while
maintaining a protectionist agenda over what they perceived to be key
industries. Globalization was branded as a success story for freedom and
democracy while, in essence, it was a cheap reproduction of the 18th-century
‘laissez-faire’ France’s economic doctrine.
1. 〔検討すべき〕課題［議題］（一覧）、アジェンダ
Agenda is as follows. : 議題は次のとおり。
What's first on the agenda? : 議題の最初の項目は何ですか。◆会議の冒頭で使われる。
The agenda for the meeting was posted on the notice board.
会議の議題［日程］が掲示板に貼られた。
2. 〔当面の〕予定、スケジュール
3. 〔発言や行動に隠された〕意図、底意、計略
When the facts don't fit the policy, they charge people with having a political
agenda.
事実が政策と合わないと、人々は政治的な計略を持っていると非難される。
It is easy to criticize poor countries for failing to challenge US/Western
dominance. In fact, they tried, and the result was economic sanctions, regime
change and war. The only silver lining is that this predatory form of capitalism
encouraged small countries in the Global South to formulate their own
economic blocks, so they may negotiate with greater leverage. However, even
that was not enough to influence, let alone dismantle, the skewed global
paradigm.
・silver lining
〔地上から見た灰色の雲の後ろ側で〕銀色に輝く裏地
〈比喩〉希望の兆し
silver lining in the clouds
〔地上から見た灰色の〕雲の後ろ側で銀色に輝く裏地
〈比喩〉希望の兆し
find a silver lining in
〔悪い状況など〕の中にある明るい兆し［肯定的な面］を見つける
（英辞郎より）
Large economies, like China, were allowed to benefit from globalization as long
as their massive growth served the interests of the global economy, namely the
West. Things began changing, however, when China’s political and geopolitical
outreach started to match its economic influence. Former US Republican
President Donald Trump dedicated much rhetoric and eventually declared
economic war on the so-called ‘China threat’. The current Democratic
administration of Joe Biden is hardly different. Though busy countering
Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, Washington remains dedicated to its
anti-Chinese rhetoric.
The Marrakesh Agreement in 1994, the treaty upon which the WTO was
established, was reached to replace the geopolitically defunct General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trades of 1948. Note how each one of these global
economic treaties resulted from their unique global geopolitical orders, the
latter following World War II and the former following the collapse of the
socialist camp. Though Russia and its allies are now mostly focused on
claiming some kind of victory in Ukraine, their ultimate goal is to sow
the seed for a different economic balance, with the hope that it will
ultimately force a renegotiation of today’s globalization, therefore the
West’s economic hegemony.
Russia is clearly invested in a new global economic system, but without isolating
itself in the process. On the other hand, the West is torn. It wants to drop on
Russia the Iron Curtain of the past, but without hurting its own economies in the
process. This equation is simply unsolvable, at least for the next few years.
In a speech at the Eurasian Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin
said that trying to isolate Russia is “impossible, utterly unrealistic in the modern
world”. His words accentuate Russia’s full awareness of the West’s objectives,
and Lavrov’s busy itinerary, especially in the Global South, is Moscow’s own way
of animating an alternative global economic system in which Russia is not
isolated. The outcome of all of these efforts will not only redefine the world
from a geopolitical perspective, but will redefine the very concept of globalization
for generations to come.
1. 等しくすること、平均化、均衡
2. 方程式
That mathematical equation is long and difficult. その数学の方程式は長くて難しい。
3. 《天文》差
4. 《化学》＝chemical equation
5. 〔いろいろな要素が絡み合った〕難しい問題、〔ある状況で考慮する必要がある〕諸要素
Price is only one part of the equation. 価格は、考慮すべき事柄の一部にすぎません。
発音 ikwéiʒən ｜ ikwéiʃən、イクウェイジョン、イクウェイション
・Eurasian Economic Forum は「ユーラシア経済フォーラム」。
・accentuate （英辞郎より）
1. 強調する、目立たせる、際立たせる、倍加させる
This picture was taken in the evening to accentuate the shows of ancient remains.
この写真は古代遺物の出現を強調するために夕方撮影された。
2. アクセントを置く、アクセント符号をつける
On Ukraine, the World Majority Sides With Russia Over U.S.
BY JOHN V. WALSH
2014 saw two pivotal events that led to the current conflict in Ukraine.
The first, familiar to all, was the coup in Ukraine in which a democratically
elected government was overthrown at the direction of the United States and
with the assistance of neo-Nazi elements which Ukraine has long harbored.
Shortly thereafter the first shots in the present war were fired on the Russian-
sympathetic Donbass region by the newly installed Ukrainian government.
The shelling of the Donbass which claimed 14,000 lives has continued for 8
years, despite attempts at a cease-fire under the Minsk accords which Russia,
France and Germany agreed upon but Ukraine backed by the US refused to
implement. On February 24, 2022, Russia finally responded to the slaughter
in Donbass and the threat of NATO on its doorstep.
・pivotal
形容詞として「中枢の、極めて重要な」。
pivotal event 《a 〜》〔歴史を左右する〕重要な出来事［事件］
pivotal figure 中心人物
pivotal moment in history 《a 〜》歴史上の転機、新たな時代の幕開けとなる瞬間
（以上は英辞郎より）
・element は原義の「要素」から派生して「 〜 分子」、「 〜 勢力」の意で時事問題
では頻出である。なぜか英辞郎にはこの意味が載っていない。珍しい遺漏である。
anti-social element 反社会勢力、反社会的分子
・harbor （英辞郎より）
名詞として
1. 港湾、港、入り江
2.〔船・人のための〕避難所
3.〔犯罪者の〕隠れ場所
他動詞として
1.〔悪意・考え・邪念・計画などを〕心に抱く
I cannot help but harbor such doubts. そんな疑問を感じざるを得ない。
2.〔〜に〕隠れ場所を提供する、〔〜を〕かくまう
・ここでの claim は原義の「要求する」から派生した「（事故などが）（命を）奪う」
の意。
The earthquake claimed so many lives.
その地震はかなり多くの人々の命を奪いました。（英辞郎の例文）
Russia Turns to the East – China Provides an Alternative Economic Powerhouse.
The second pivotal event of 2014 was less noticed and in fact rarely mentioned
in the Western mainstream media. In November of that year according to the
IMF, China’s GDP surpassed that of the U.S. in purchasing power parity terms
(PPP GDP). (This measure of GDP is calculated and published by the IMF, World
Bank and even the CIA. Students of international relations like economics Nobel
Laureate, Joseph Stiglitz, Graham Allison and many others consider this metric
the best measure of a nation’s comparative economic power.) One person who
took note and who often mentions China’s standing in the PPP-GDP ranking is
none other than Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
From one point of view, the Russian action in Ukraine represents a decisive turn
away from the hostile West to the more dynamic East and the Global South.
This follows decades of importuning the West for a peaceful relationship since
the Cold War’s end. As Russia makes its Pivot to the East, it is doing its best to
ensure that its Western border with Ukraine is secured.
Following the Russian action in Ukraine, the inevitable U.S. sanctions poured onto
Russia. China refused to join them and refused to condemn Russia. This was
no surprise; after all Putin’s Russia and Xi’s China had been drawing ever closer
for years, most notably with trade denominated in ruble-renminbi exchange,
thus moving toward independence from the West’s dollar dominated trade regime.
But then a big surprise. India joined China in refusing to honor the US sanctions
regime. And India kept to its resolve despite enormous pressure including calls
from Biden to Modi and a train of high level US, UK and EU officials trekking off
to India to bully, threaten and otherwise attempting to intimidate India. India
would face “consequences,” the tired US threat went up. India did not budge.
India’s close military and diplomatic ties with Russia were forged during the
anti-colonial struggles of the Soviet era. India’s economic interests in Russian
exports could not be countermanded by U.S. threats. Now India and Russia are now
working on trade via ruble-rupee exchange. In fact, Russia has turned out to
be a factor that put India and China on the same side, pursuing their own
interests and independence in the face of U.S. diktat. Moreover with trade in
ruble-renminbi exchange already a reality and with ruble-rupee exchange in the
offing, are we about to witness a Renminbi-Ruble-Rupee world of trade – a “3R”
alternative to the Dollar-Euro monopoly? Is the world’s second most important
political relationship, that between India and China, about to take a more
peaceful direction? What’s the world’s first most important relationship?
・via
1. 〜を通って、〜を経由して ◆【語源】ラテン語via（＝way＝道）
From New York, I'm flying to Osaka via Tokyo.
ニューヨークから、東京経由で大阪に飛ぶことになっています。
2. 〜によって、〜を用いて
Did you sell your car by yourself or via an agent?
あなたは、車を自分で売りましたか、それとも仲介者を通してですか？
You can apply over the phone or via e-mail.
電話、またはメールでお申し込みいただけます。
・in the face of
1. 〜の面前で、〜に直面して、〜を前にして
2.〔悪い状況・出来事など〕にもかかわらず
3.〔批判・圧力など〕にさらされて
・in the offing
1.〔船が〕沖合に来て、もうすぐ港に入って来そうで
2. やがてやってきそうで、そろそろ現れそうで
3. もうすぐ［やがて・近い将来に］起こりそうで
The new plan will be in the offing in July.新しい計画は近々、7月に実施される。
India is but one example of the shift in power. Out of 195 countries, only
30 have honored the US sanctions on Russia. That means about 165 countries
in the world have refused to join the sanctions. Those countries represent
by far the majority of the world’s population. Most of Africa, Latin America
(including Mexico and Brazil), East Asia (excepting Japan, South Korea, both
occupied by U.S. troops and hence not sovereign, Singapore and the renegade
Chinese Province of Taiwan) have refused. (India and China alone represent
35% of humanity.)
Add to that fact that 40 different countries are now the targets of US
sanctions and there is a powerful constituency to oppose the thuggish
economic tactics of the U.S.
Finally, at the recent G-20 Summit a walkout led by the US when the Russia
delegate spoke was joined by the representatives of only 3 other G-20
countries, with 80% of these leading financial nations refusing to join!
Similarly, a US attempt to bar a Russian delegate from a G-20 meeting later
in the year in Bali was rebuffed by Indonesia which currently holds the
G-20 Presidency.
Nations Taking Russia’s side are no longer poor as in Cold War 1.0.
These dissenting countries of the Global South are no longer as poor as they were
during the Cold War. Of the top 10 countries in PPP-GDP, 5 do not support the
sanctions. And these include China (number one) and India (number 3). So the
first and third most powerful economies stand against the US on this matter.
(Russia is number 6 on that list about equal to Germany, number 5, the two
being close to equal, belying the idea that Russia’s economy is negligible.)
> 〜 , the two being close to equal, belying the idea that Russia’s economy
>is negligible
being も belying もどちらも分詞構文である。この2つの分詞構文をつなぐ接続詞が
ないので、これは文法的破格と言い得る。
the two （countries）are close to equal.
及び
it （the fact）belies the idea that Russia's economy is negligible.
という2つの文章が、付帯状況を表す分詞構文となって、前の文章につながっていると
読み解くことができる。
These stands are vastly more significant than any UN vote. Such votes can be
coerced by a great power and little attention is paid to them in the world.
But the economic interests of a nation and its view of the main danger in the
world are important determinants of how it reacts economically – for example
to sanctions. A “no” to US sanctions is putting one’s money where one’s
mouth is.
We in the West hear that Russia is “isolated in the world” as a result of
the crisis in Ukraine. If one is speaking about the Eurovassal states and the
Anglosphere, that is true. But considering humanity as a whole and among the
rising economie of the world, it is the US that stands isolated. And even in
Europe, cracks are emerging. Hungary and Serbia have not joined the sanctions
regime and of course most European countries will not and indeed cannot turn
away from Russian energy imports crucial to their economies. It appears that
the grand scheme of U.S. global hegemony to be brought about by the US move
to WWII Redux, both Cold and Hot, has hit a mighty snag.
・both Cold and Hot はもちろん 「cold war であろうと hot war であろうと」の意。
・snag は多義語であるが、ここの場合は hit a snag で熟語。
英辞郎から引用すると、
hit a snag 切り株にぶつかる、思わぬ困難な問題にぶつかる
We hit a snag in our plans when Barbie crashed our car into Ken's.
バービーが私たちの車をケンの車にぶつけ、私たちの計画は暗礁に乗り上げた。
come upon a snag 思わぬ障害にぶつかる
hit a big snag 大きな問題にぶち当たる
など。
For those who look forward to a multipolar world, this is a welcome turn of
events emerging out of the cruel tragedy of the U.S. proxy war in Ukraine.
The possibility of a saner, more prosperous multipolar world lies ahead – if
we can get there.
・turn of event は頻出表現である。
英辞郎から一部引用すると、
unfortunate turn of event《an 〜》事態の残念な展開
turn of events 事態［情勢］の変化、出来事の節目
bizarre turn of events《a 〜》事態の奇妙な展開
など。
・lie ahead も頻出表現。やはり英辞郎から引用すると、
lie ahead 目の前に〜がある、前途に横たわる、行く手に控えている
Even if they changed their CEO, so many other tasks lie ahead of them.
CEOを変えたとしても、他にも多くの課題が彼らの目の前に残っている。
I already know what lies ahead. その先は言わなくても分かるよ。
