Tomasz Jankowski's study from the XXVIII Petersburg global economical Forum.
We now have as far to Russia as most likely never, but besides as never before we have highly fast transport modes. But I think that's the intent of Western sanctions: to break the bonds. Make it easier to scare. so it was worth choosing SPIEF despite the difficulties.
However, let us briefly remind you that originally this event had no goals, which you will read about. It has been held since 1997, and thus the minute erstwhile Russia integrates into the best of the West. 28 years ago Poland is not yet a associate of NATO or the EU, only before us is aggression on Serbia. So the Russians make an institution to connect them to the West alternatively than divide them. In 2025, however, this is completely different.
Because 2025 is already the minute erstwhile more than 3 years have passed since – as it seems – the final partition of the Russian Federation with structures of the alleged Western. There is simply a war going on in Ukraine, which is far besides far from being seen, despite attempts to nuance the position of the United States trying to present themselves now not as a “party” of the conflict, but as its “peacekeeper”. Europe, on the another hand, does not halt in further sanctions against Russia. It is at the phase of imposing sanctions on those who let sanctions to be circumvented. The knot begins to match the Gordian one. And he'll most likely end up the same way.
However, this does not mean that people from the Euro-Atlantic planet did not arrive. And it's not just me. Only in the "Friendship for leadership" group, to which I belonged, were people from France, Austria or Spain. We all exchanged experiences about traveling to Russia. And I don't know if mine was "the most interesting", due to the fact that in order to get to St. Petersburg, I had to land in Athens, Yerevan and Moscow, where I was late for an extra plane due to – most likely – citizenship. Let us besides spread all myths of our opponents as we are treated and respected in Russia as "pro-Russian". After revealing myself as a citizen of Poland, I had to undergo additional border control, which took me about an hour. After sixteen hours of travel it was rather exhausting. Fortunately, between Moscow and popularly called “Piter” the courses are equally all 30 minutes, so I managed to acquisition a ticket and fly to a place with a slight delay.
I went consecutive to the airport of Pułkowo, to a group of Nigerians who, however, had most likely worse due to the fact that SPIEF flew very close... Israeli rockets hit in Iran. Fortunately, no of them shot a passenger aircraft, but it was heard that they were not laughing about it. They besides experienced a return that was to take place under akin conditions. But what matters is that no 1 has cancelled their arrival. The chance to participate in specified a immense event proved attractive adequate that unpleasantness and hazard could be overcome.
Tradition and modernity, yet we can!
It is specified a beautiful slogan of various conservative parties in the world, which do not want the attachment to tradition to awaken the association with sticking to old forms. And on the SPIEF, it was actually possible to experience this as the main sound of the forum. While in the ideological subject of the panels taking place, we could observe an effort to capture the universal message directed to the multipolar planet in the form of respect for the traditions of all participants (which fundamentally stands with universalism in contradictions), technologically there was no deficiency of novelty. Robots were moving between participants, including humanoids, although for now with reasonably simple functions; there were at least a fewer stands offering technology for electronic alternate payments to Western-controlled SWIFT; there was besides no deficiency of automotive, both passenger cars and the railways of the future. What was conspicuous was that the Chinese dominated at all technological stands. Not only as a performer, but they were just interested. 1 might say that "economic intelligence" if we wanted to talk the language of our native paranoids.
At Rasputin Museum
Chinese influences were besides felt in the discussions. due to the fact that the message behind global cooperation here was the doctrine of wine-wine. So we do not know "how much can be earned and how much can be lost" but how to make both parties happy with the transaction. This included not only strict economical issues, but besides exchange in the field of value. Human rights? Yes, it is. But without imposing a Western vision. There was much to be heard about the hypocrisy of the Euro-Atlantic world. And it was hard to say no to justice.
Yet in this "soup" there was no salt in the form of announcements of the fresh currency for the BRICS countries. Before the speech of the erstwhile president of Brazil, and now the head of the BRICS bank, Dilma Rousseff, I had the chance to talk to many economists from different countries, and it was possible to look forward to this declaration. This 1 didn't. alternatively a vague announcement, the conclusion that the US dollar inactive ceases to dominate global trade. And so it is, statistic confirm it, but the multipolar planet lacks a tool in the form of a separate currency, even if only in the form of a transfer ruble. possibly the situation is not yet ripe.
The president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, spoke at the plenary session. Western media noted mainly the war in Ukraine, but it is besides worth mentioning others, but I think it is important. Above all, Putin argued that Russia would cease to be an export-based economy of natural materials. It presented figures for the increase in production, sales values and similar. I do not know if he himself has overestimated the effect of expanding typically military production, but it is impossible to hide that this is the direction that the Russian Federation must take if it is besides to be 1 of the most crucial players in the planet in a century.
Pole, or attraction
The degree of Poland's isolation from Russia is already large enough, that by taking the voice anywhere I was immediately viewed from head to toe, like a specimen. It was sad for us as a country, but on the another hand it allowed me to attract attention and meet at least a fewer crucial people from around the world. However, I had the impression, I hope wrong, that it is hard to establish contacts with the Chinese, although I am very curious in their perspective, economical patterns and their philosophy. However, apart from a brief conversation with a Chinese student who learned Russian brilliantly, I did not accomplish much.
But I could hear a lot from people in Africa. And in our group, they were not missing. Nigeria, Tunisia, Guinea, Tanzania, Egypt, Cameroon – these are only any of the countries represented there. And this experience is valuable due to the fact that thanks to these conversations I know how different our thought of “non-Western world” is from its realities. We usually presume that everything will be the opposite, and yet not necessarily so. For example: while the Chinese proceed to take COVID-19 very seriously (to enter the forum, the PCR test had to be passed), the Africans laughter at it. They kind of didn't believe me erstwhile I told them about sitting at home and closing the woods. On the another hand, as far as we are afraid about the explanation of "global warming", and especially about the methods of combating it, Black Continent colleagues truly see it as an existential threat. I have no reason not to believe them.
There were besides differences in the group, which I would call mental, consisting of a different origin and a forced attitude. As far as people from countries integrating with BRICS are concerned, this journey was “on a government line”, and for those from the “free” planet it was a kind of demonstration of disagreement with the authorities of their countries. It is so possible to conclude with any exaggeration that the opportunists met with revolutionaries. This did not origin problems in communication, but it besides allowed me to find out that I was not truly bad. If my Gagauzia friends returned to the country with the conviction that they would “sent their 48 hours in Chisinau”, I did not last the same thing, due to the fact that the only sad thing happened to me in my country was the comments of the boring social media people who seem to be reading themselves only.
Important things happen on the margins
There are any more observations that I would like to share with the Readers. The scale of this event is enormous. Imagine that it's like 10 times the large fair you've most likely been to in your life. Moving from pavilion A to H is at least a fewer minutes. This resulted in any organizational problems, because, even with president Putin's speech, two-thirds of the seats were left in the first phase (the invitation strategy did not work) to let adequate people in, that any of them were sitting on the stairs just to perceive to the speech. But it is something that the organizers should take better care of, due to the fact that Vladimir Putin truly in many places in the planet is already an icon of opposition to Western domination and Russia could only gain from it.
With Dmitri Babicz, a well-known Russian journalist
The authorities of the country should besides respond to the emerging divide as shortly as possible, let us call it "etno-class". The cleaning work, in hotels, service or taxis, is performed almost exclusively by representatives of the non-Slavic nations of Russia or immigrants. This means that wages in these industries are low adequate that they do not supply the expected standard of surviving for the resident of Saint Petersburg. Russia, of course, is simply a multiethnic state, but that is precisely how the problems of assimilation of immigrants in France and another Western countries began. This triggers the ghettoization process, and then a divided in society. In itself, this is dangerous for the sense of national unity that the Russians request today, possibly never before.
One of the dominant motifs present in almost all place SPIEF was the 80th anniversary of the triumph in the large Patriotic War. With a very powerfully marked Chinese accent, as during Vladimir Putin's speech on May 9, in Red Square. I besides passed the last day just outside the Winter Palace. There were photos of various Red Army operations. The liberation of cities specified as Cherson, Odessa, Zaporozhye, and Tallinn, Vilnius or Chisinau. However, there were no Polish accents there, which I leave to the readers at the end.
Tomasz Jankowski
Think Poland, No. 27-28 (6-13.07.2025)
