平和
和平
평화
ASIA
26 March 2014
Medvedev - Putin 2012

Russian Spring for Christmas?

Steve Howard, Secretary General of The Global Foundation, has shared with us this message of hope from Moscow.

Don't forget that Russia is the largest Asian country in terms of land mass.

Steve Howard, Secretary General of The Global Foundation, has shared with us this message of hope from Moscow.

Don't forget that Russia is the largest Asian country in terms of land mass, as well as being the world's largest country. It may also be the world's most resource-rich country. And it is a likely winner from global warming. In short, it is still a very important country -- to Asia and the world. And in 2013, it will be chairing the G20.

Here is Steve Howard's message:

Last week I was in Moscow, against a deepening winter backdrop, of snow, icy footpaths and a sheer, cold Arctic wind so lazy - as my late uncle used to say - that it went right through, rather than around, you. It's no wonder the Russians like to remind us of their extra military commander, 'General Frost', who ensured their country's unconquerability, at least from the outside!

So, you might say, a perfect setting for Christmas, but hardly an idea of Spring?

Well, against external expectations, and evidently by coincidence, three metaphorical birds appeared and sang from the trees in Moscow, a portent, perhaps, of things to come.

Ok, here's the first songbird. Her name is Ksenia Yudaeva, a senior official carrying the direct authority of President Putin for the G20, the still-forming alliance of political leaders of the world's twenty biggest economies. Smart, charming and worldly, Ms Yudaeva stands out like a beacon in a world of otherwise grey-suited men.

Russia has just taken its turn in the rotating leadership of the G20, which meant that officials from all the G20 nations met to frame the Russian year, which will culminate in the leaders' summit in St Petersburg, Russia's window to the old world, next September. That part was official and predictable, but important too, as Russia is on world view for the next year.

But, here's the interesting bit: in parallel with these formal talks and then, as an integral part of what became a joint plenary session involving officials and the wider world, open and thoughtful streams of dialogue were organised around Moscow, with a view to incorporating the advice from global business, labor, think tanks and civil society into the official G20 agenda.

What's more, the Russians have not only promised to deepen these connections over the next year, they have also confirmed that they will go out to the world, to participate in and benefit from, a program of dialogue on major global issues, including with our organisation, with its roots in global civil society. I figure that Russia has much more at stake here than just a great set of G20 meetings, as vital as that would be for our unsettled world.

Here's the second songbird. His name is Dmitri Medvedev and yes, he is the Prime Minister of Russia. I was present to hear him speak, last Thursday afternoon, in the groovy, high-tech 'Cube' building, way out of town, on a flat, snow-covered plain. Russia is building its version of Silicon Valley, known as Skolkovo, but Mr Medvedev's unscripted remarks to the international group gathered there were not about technology, rather they were about purpose, about open government and the leadership role he sought to encourage from civil society. “I do not believe there is any difference” said the PM, “between government and civil society. All of us, including the President and I, are citizens”, he said.

The architect of this remarkable movement which, it turns out, forms part of a worldwide open government partnership, was the young and dynamic Russian Minister for Open Government, Mikhail Abyzov, former internet entrepreneur turned government minister, who hosted me, at short range, for a very intensive discussion over dinner the previous evening at a chic central bar previously known as the Red October Chocolate Factory.

What's remarkable about Russia joining this global open government initiative is that, in many ways, it appears to be ahead of equivalent programs back home in Australia. Food for thought - the Russians providing new models of open governance for the West!

And then, to the third and most powerful songbird. On the occasion of Russia's annual Constitution Day last Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin addressed the national parliament, a marathon 'State of the Union' effort running for 90 minutes. Tucked away in his remarks, which ranged across many issues, as you might expect, were a few Spring pearls, if you took the trouble to look. Media headlines focused on other bits, but I can recommend a closer reading of his speech, available at: www.http://eng.kremlin.ru/news/4739

Spring at Christmas? One, two or three swallows does not a summer make, that's true. But could it be, by more than sheer coincidence, that something is moving in Russia, moving to a new normal with the world?

As the young Russian minister said, “we are moving from the most closed government 20 years ago, to the most open”.

Well, let's watch this space. But I, for one, am now giving Russia the benefit of the doubt, and the encouragement it needs to head down this path. And maybe those in high office elsewhere, who have the means to hit the reset button, to establish the new normal, would be wise to at least reflect for a moment on what possible joy, three songbirds in a Russian winter can bring.
Tags: asia, Russia, G20, The Global Foundation, Steve Howard, Vladimir Putin, Dmitri Medvedev

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