The example of Karabakh exposed the failure of Russia's "soft power"

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The second Karabakh war, as the current confrontation between Armenia and Azerbaijan can be called with full confidence, attracts the attention of the whole world. At the moment, Baku has achieved serious success, although it could not achieve the initially set goals.

There are several reasons why the Armenian troops were forced to leave large areas of the so-called. "Security belts" around Nagorno-Karabakh. In addition to the technical superiority of the Azerbaijani army, this is the excessive confidence of the Armenians in their own forces, based on the successes of the 1991-1994 campaign, and a number of other important aspects. However, we are interested in something else in this matter.



After coming to power, Nikol Pashinyan, who never denied his pro-Western orientation, very much cleared the army ranks of the associates of the former presidents - Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan. And, concurrently, supporters of close cooperation with Russia. It seems to be nothing special - a common attempt to put loyal people in key positions in the armed forces, but there is one "but". The dismissed officers had real combat experience gained during the first war. In addition, they were trained in Moscow, that is, they have a serious military education.

Of course, it cannot be argued that had it not been for these dismissals, the Armenian army would have defeated the Azerbaijani one, but the resistance offered would have been much more serious. So in any case, such a step by Pashinyan was an open shot in the foot.

However, it is not the first time for fighters against Russian influence in the post-Soviet space to act contrary to the interests of their country. Let us recall at least Ukrainian purchases of "European" gas. But you should not rush to call such behavior stupid.

This is not about stupidity and not about following national interests. And about depriving Russia of influence in the post-Soviet space - the historically established space of Russian civilization, which, despite the fact that it bears the name of only one people, has never been mono-ethnic in its more than thousand-year history. This is our strength, which for many centuries has attracted peoples completely different from us. For this reason, Kabardian princes, Kalmyks, and Eastern Georgia all asked for Russian citizenship.

But this is also our weakness. Therefore, during the period of the weakening of Russia, our enemies always try to play on the national differences of the peoples inhabiting it. And therefore, after the collapse of the USSR, the West began to actively work to prevent the reintegration of the post-Soviet space in any form. And for this it is necessary to take the CIS countries out of the orbit of Russian influence. And then there can be no talk of a full-fledged revival of Russia as a world power.

In pursuit of this goal, both the United States and other Western countries, as you know, create various kinds of NGOs, implement many educational programs, the purpose of which is to form in the countries of the former USSR, including in Russia itself, a loyal elite. Loyal to the point of willingness to betray the interests of their own state in the name of Washington's "higher interests".

Add Hollywood, pop music and so on, and we get the so-called "soft power" ("soft power"), thanks to which the West still retains its influence in the world. The coming to power of the leaders of the "Euromaidan", Saakashvili and the same Pashinyan is an obvious consequence of the not unsuccessful use of this very effective tool by the West.

Until recently, the Russian authorities were not very worried that, against the background of their complete inaction, European and overseas partners were openly promoting their agenda in the area of ​​our vital interests. But now the situation has begun to change, and in some areas one can observe so far modest, but still progress.

But Russia has before its eyes the most serious experience in the implementation of the "soft power" strategy. Let's give just one example. In 2019, an unprecedented Russia-Africa summit was held in Sochi, demonstrating to the whole world that our country is seriously and for a long time returning to the Black Continent. So, in most of the delegations there were many who studied in the USSR during the Soviet years. Mostly free of charge, for which they are grateful to our country to this day. It is the presence of people sympathetic to Russia in the leadership of African countries that allows us to realize our interests here.

Free education of foreign students in our universities is by no means the only element of the “soft power” strategy that the Soviet leadership successfully used. And although 30 years have passed since the collapse of the USSR, the fruits of this successfully implemented policy we still use it.

And it is precisely the absence of an equally intelligible policy in the post-Soviet space that gave rise to the problems on our borders that we still see. From the unrest in Belarus to the war in Karabakh, which has already had a far from the best effect on the image of Russia, in fact, resigned to the military defeat of its ally in the CSTO. The fact that the war is not being fought on the territory of Armenia, although true from a legal point of view, but from the point of view of prestige, is a weak justification.

The point here, of course, is not only in Pashinyan, with which we started. In the end, the attack on Karabakh was launched on the orders of Aliyev. And the fact that the absence of levers of influence on the internal political life in the CIS countries makes now impossible a full-fledged attempt to seat the parties to the conflict at the negotiating table. If we had such leverage, the military scenario could have been avoided.

Someone will say that “soft power” requires a lot of funds, and modern Russia is not able to invest in it in the same way as Europe and the United States. However, in this case, it is worth asking the question: does Turkey have more money than we do? But Ankara, with its much more limited capabilities than ours, has achieved considerable success on this front. And now even those Azerbaijanis who have lived in Russia for many years often do not doubt the validity of the principle “one people - two states” invented in Turkey. What I have repeatedly had to be convinced of personally. This alone speaks volumes.

The reason for the weakness of Russian "soft power" is not a lack of funds, but an ideological crisis experienced by both our society and our leadership.

And as long as this continues, we will not be able to offer the world something as attractive as, for example, the Soviet Union. Nobody says that we need to return to the communist ideology, but that the idea that unites the entire population of the country in state building turns out to be even more powerful. economics, no doubt about it. And a state that does not have such an idea will lose to its competitors.
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22 comments
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  1. -3
    4 November 2020 08: 59
    30 years of chatting about some new idea ... And the idea has been there for 30 years: Money doesn't smell.
    The caste of power is untouchable. The boy said: the boy did it - he doesn't belong to the terpily.
    1. +2
      4 November 2020 10: 31
      Maybe not everything is so sad?
      1. 0
        5 November 2020 11: 37
        Isn't everything so sad? It's worse than you think. And even worse than you think.
    2. +2
      4 November 2020 14: 10
      "And the idea has been there for 30 years: Money doesn't smell .."

      To each his own...
  2. +5
    4 November 2020 14: 16
    And what does Russia care about Karabakh? Are there Russians, Tatars or even Chukchi living there? There are only Armenians running around with posters “Russians get out of Armenia”. So you should treat them like pygmies from Lesotho, i.e. no way. If you want to be fruitful and multiply, but if you want - fight for a just cause - from which end to break an egg (from a sharp or blunt). Well, if forces come to power in Yerevan that remember the centuries-old traditions of mutual respect and friendship between the Armenians and the peoples of Russia, then it will be possible to think about help. In general, Soros will give you ... Well, corruption in all countries has been, is and will be "And now, and ever, and forever ..."
    1. -7
      5 November 2020 11: 54
      Have you seen in Karabakh running around with posters "Russians get out of Armenia"? He was going to think about help. Who will need your help when Karabakh falls under Erdogan's janissaries, and the "barmaley" climb into Russia?! ...
      1. +3
        5 November 2020 22: 40
        When the bear is half-dead, various mongrels strive to gnaw off a piece of wool and run to another strong patron for protection. To make the bear stronger, you need to lime the parasites that gnaw the bear alive from the inside, especially its brain - this is how Russia looks today ...
  3. +3
    5 November 2020 14: 16
    Does Russia need to keep someone forcibly in its zone of influence? This is an unnecessary waste of energy and resources to acquire "fake" friends. In which zone of influence to remain - it is up to the leaders chosen by the people in these countries to decide. Now this is a very simple process - let's be friends with someone who is richer and stronger, so why hinder this?
  4. +4
    7 November 2020 18: 15
    I disagree! Russia does not need to interfere in the Karabakh conflict. And on whose side? Russia should use its influence to prevent Turkey from entering this region. It still works
  5. 0
    9 November 2020 11: 30
    "Levers of soft power" is for self-sufficient states, which we used to be, and now we are only striving (apparently, with such an internal politeness, it will be a long process) to return to this quality. And the Armenian process "quietly" (look at the names of the current defendants in the Russian media and TV) unfortunately does not suit us, we are a proud big people, unlike Tel Aviv.
    Therefore, we have to rely only on our Armed Forces, as a deterrent from great love for us, all our "partners".
  6. 0
    10 November 2020 11: 36
    Serious military education in Moscow.
    As if it helped in Chechnya or Afghanistan. Laughter and nothing else, not education.
    1. +3
      11 November 2020 22: 46
      Serious military education in Moscow.
      As if it helped in Chechnya or Afghanistan. Laughter and nothing else, not education.

      In vain words of a person who does not know what he is saying, or deliberately distorts the facts. In Chechnya and especially in Afghanistan, politics, not the military training of soldiers and officers, has become the decisive factor in failure.

      However, judging by the tone taken, you are not one of those who can be convinced of something. I would be glad to be wrong about that.
      1. 0
        14 November 2020 12: 03
        If a character received this education himself and knows what he is talking about, then how can you convince him?
        And if this is just "an expert assessment, then it is not worth convincing.
  7. +2
    10 November 2020 16: 44
    The strength is there or it is not. The Russian authorities have "soft powerlessness"! In power, political midgets are impotent.
  8. +1
    11 November 2020 14: 28
    There was no truly safe exit from Karabakh. I think Pashinyan saw it. I think that Moscow also made it clear that the situation reached the point where the Armenian forces could not withstand the Azerbaijani offensive.

    Another factor that caused shock in the Armenian society was the fact that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did nothing to prepare the people and even spoke of victory a few hours before the signing of the agreement.

    So the blood of those who fell in battles after the first days of the outbreak of the war on Pashinyan and the Internet warriors, storytellers who lied this period without stopping! After all this shame, get off the internet ...
  9. +1
    13 November 2020 16: 03
    Just don’t (!!!!) to drag Russia into the Caucasian squabbles!
    1. 0
      14 November 2020 12: 07
      To what extent is "not necessary"? Before Rostov-Volgograd?
  10. +2
    16 November 2020 23: 25
    The main reason for the defeat of Armenia is the orange disease. The Americans have their eyes on Armenia to make it a NATO bridgehead and disgusting for Russia. To do this, they put the orange Pashinyan in power, let in several thousand advisers who began to actively engage in Russia-phobia, Russian TV channels were banned there, pro-Russian leaders were arrested, and Soros institutions were active. But the Americans do not need Armenian problems. Therefore, the Americans organized the drain of Karabakh.
  11. +2
    19 November 2020 20: 02
    Another wonderful article on the topic: "How can we equip our neighbors" ..... But what exactly to do, the author kept silent ... Train foreign students? It seems like a good idea ... Only for some reason Mara Baghdasaryan comes to mind .. Will she defend Russia's interests in Armenia? Truth? The little casket opens simply: the influence was lost in 1991 ... Now what to tear your hair on? Boris Nikolayevich was elected quite democratically, he did not hide his views .. Who is the reproach? The elite of Armenia, sending their children to Russia, sends them with the aim of a springboard to the west, either directly or through the drift of Russia itself together with them to the west ..... They don’t need Russia in principle ... Here another question begs to the gentlemen of the troika - dialogue, the owners of Ararat Plaza, Mosfilm, and so on: what are they ready to do to bring their historical homeland closer to the country where they took place and earned a lot of money? Why are they, like Canadian Ukrainians, American Greeks, French Georgians not strengthening relations in a direction beneficial to the countries of emigration and immigration? If IM does not need it, why do Russians need it?
  12. -1
    24 November 2020 17: 39
    Oh, it's funny. 1976-1978 after university I serve as a literary-translator of French at the base of Maya-Maya, Brazzaville, it is on the other side of the international airport of the capital. The Union has just presented the NRK with a squadron of MiG 17, ammunition, hardware for the division, and it cannot be otherwise. They did not have a single fighter pilot of their own.
    The squadron commander, in health pilots (our doctors checked them all), did not pass, he studied in Kiev for something civilian flying. Russian without an accent and without mistakes. He gives us a notebook, and in it is NIAS, rewritten in a beautiful female handwriting. Asks to translate. Yes, easy, done. Towards the end of the trip, two Congolese pilots appeared. One studied in Frunze, the second was retrained there after France on the MiG. Then they said that when the commander of the base on the Mi-8 crashed, this our Lieutenant Longonda became the chief.
    The largest hotel in the city, Cosmos, was built and donated by the Union, the largest maternity hospital too. The staff at the hospital, by the way, was also ours.
    Well, what else. At the bazaar I saw bags of rice with the inscription "Don de l'Union Sovietique" with my own eyes, I bought it myself.
  13. 0
    3 December 2020 13: 39
    Putin did everything to the maximum: the Armenians are alive, the Azerbaijanis are well fed, Russia is fixed there forever. The Turks have failed and will not succeed. Perhaps Russia will receive transit through Nakhichevan to Turkey and Iran bypassing Georgia. Soft power won out.
  14. -1
    14 December 2020 11: 06
    Soft or hard power - I don't see the difference. Feels my heart, I shouldn't have gone there at all. Russia fell into a trap.