recently there have been reports that Russian authorities are discussing the reform of the so-called “soft power.” Informed sources say that take part in these consultations, the Deputy head of the presidential administration Dmitry Kozak, the new head of Rossotrudnichestvo, Russian Yevgeny Primakov and representatives of the economic agencies.
What is “soft power”? And why is it important to strengthen? The strength of the country’s military capacity and economic strength, and scientific and technological level and the size of territory and population. But not only that. There are still ideological and cultural influence of the nation on a global scale. In the modern lexicon this is called “soft power”. Long before the appearance of the term the importance of “soft power” realized by the rulers of different countries, and primarily authoritarian regimes.
Remember how in the 80 years of the new Soviet Ambassador to Denmark, former high-level officials, summoned accredited in the Danish Kingdom of correspondents in the Soviet media, including me, and gave us a task: to draw up at the entrance to the Embassy fotovitrinu showing the achievements of the Soviet people. We tried to argue, saying that in Denmark it is not accepted, the showcase is only at the embassies of China and Korea, why be like them? The owner was adamant — Mart had to issue.
But that’s nothing compared to the pervasive, global system of brainwashing, which was deployed to all continents by the will of the “Leninist Central Committee”. The youth of the world were processed through the world Federation of democratic youth, women through the International democratic Federation of women, fighters for peace through the world peace Council, trade Union activists — through the world Federation of trade unions, foreign Communists, through the Comintern, and later directly through bilateral relations of the CPSU with “fraternal parties,” which was financed from Moscow. Their “ration” received from the storerooms of the Kremlin and foreign societies of friendship with the Soviet Union, which mobilized the public in their countries to support Soviet policy. They worked their “mirror” partners in the Soviet Union — USSR friendship society—the UK, USSR, France, the Soviet Union, Italy, etc., United in the Union of Soviet societies for friendship with foreign countries (ussf). The ussf was the main driving force of the twinning movement — Soviet cities and villages “fraternized” with the cities and municipalities around the world. Went delegations to and from there, the brainwashing was carried out at high speed.
then there was a powerful apparatus of foreign propaganda: the international service of radio and television of the USSR, propaganda abroad Agency “Novosti” and TASS, Newspapers, magazines, brochures and books in dozens of foreign languages for distribution abroad — just not listed. A lot of tax money in Ryazanpayer was spent on all this. (Although still more on “hard power”, i.e. military presence of the USSR in Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the aid of Pro-Moscow regimes (Cuba, Mongolia, Vietnam, etc.) and “fighters against colonialism and imperialism” in developing countries, training in the Soviet Union militants-terrorists from the third world, etc.). Huge funds were allocated for the activities of foreign intelligence on political, military, science and technology, the widespread presence abroad was visible to the naked eye (and even more was not visible).
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the former Soviet republics and socialist countries, and in the West, began dismantling: who was a Soviet spy who managed from Moscow agent of influence, and who is just a “useful idiot” whose “progressive” views and unselfishly accidentally coincided with the positions of the Kremlin. Was and alone, and others, and others. And there to this day.
Not to say that the US and the West look indifferently at the turbulent activity of Moscow around the world. America was a superpower in no less degree than the Soviet Union, perhaps even more, due to its economic power and extensive use of the “soft power” (propaganda via Hollywood movies, Broadway musicals, American fast food, etc.). The Warsaw Pact was opposed by NATO and other military alliances headed by the USA, the Council for mutual economic assistance European economic community (the forerunner of today’s European Union), us military bases cover the globe, the U.S. intelligence services were actively working everywhere, including in socialist countries, every Pro-Moscow international (trade Union, women, youth) was the Western opposition, the news Agency of the United States (USIA) and the “enemy voices” (“Freedom”, “Free Europe”, “Voice of America”, “Deutsche Welle”, Bi-bi-si, etc.) day and night led propaganda in dozens of languages — in General, between the East and the West were on a par.
Everything changed overnight after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Naive Americans and other Westerners thought that the cold war is over, Russia is defeated — you can not spend money on expensive tools of ideological influence, it will take effect. In parallel with military base closures, cuts in defense and intelligence budgets, the U.S. began to save on the Department of state, Agency for assistance to foreign countries and other foreign policy agencies. A powerful propaganda Agency, USIA was eliminated “unnecessary” in 1999, the budgets of the radio station “Voice of America”, “Freedom” and “Free Europe” has steadily decreased.
If we add to this that the activities of humanitarian organizations in Russia is prohibited, we can firmly Konst��be interpreted that the United States does not today have an effective counterweight to Russian tools of “soft power”. Contrary to the expectations of the West, Russia all these years intensively building up the muscles, including in the sphere of influence in foreign minds. The course is wide Arsenal of tools — from traditional foreign-policy propaganda to the organization of the Pro-Russian groups and the Western stock through accounts in social networks.
There is nothing fundamentally new in the Russian officialdom’s desire to increase its “soft power.” But why was it decided right now to make a breakthrough? Because the situation today is particularly conducive to such efforts. USA, led by trump, on the path of isolationism — they come out all in a row of international agreements and organizations (the apotheosis — the US withdrawal from the world health organization in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic). Aggressive ignorance trump ignores the fact that the benefits of even imperfect international cooperation that any dialogue between countries is better than no dialogue. Don’t need Trump nor diplomats nor spies, nor the promoters, nor the “soft power” nor “hard”.
the Pentagon announced, leaving five bases in Afghanistan as part of the “peace agreement” with the Taliban (banned in Russia), previously definitely considered a terrorist organization. Americans rolled up their 20 year military presence in Afghanistan, transferring “control” over the country allied to the government, which it does not control and whose forces were under constant attack from the Taliban — most of those with whom the US signed in February “historic peace agreement”. Trillions of wasted dollars, thousands of lives of American soldiers — and ultimately returns to Afghanistan under the control of Islamic fanatics of the Taliban. A similar pattern in Iraq, where the Americans are gone without accomplishing anything except the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, now this country has become the fiefdom of Islamist Iran. Helplessness in Syria and Libya, the withdrawal of some troops from Germany, the lack of a coherent policy towards Russia and other former Soviet countries… And in America raging epidemic of coronavirus in parallel with rampant protest of anarchy… This is a great power, the country is the leader?
there is No leadership from the EU. In 2015, the EU has expressed utter helplessness, when Europe was swept by a wave of refugees from third world countries, and now he is as incapable in relation to a global pandemic COVID-19. Each European country sets its own rules of entry, no policy, no, to the recommendations of Brussels almost do not listen.
in Addition, many Europeans and Americans disillusioned with Western democracy, which went to the bad step politkom��be correct absurdity and hypocrisy. Summary: the West is inferior to Russia, China and other contenders for the leadership role. To world leadership there are always claims strong, and hope from the weak. So this Holy place is never empty will remain. But it is not enough to take — it is also necessary to keep. Not to join the Pantheon of extinct hegemony, from the Roman Empire to the US and the EU.
