We are pacifying the Earth. What Russian military bases can give the world
There has been a pause in the struggle over the Russian naval base under construction in Sudan - at least the content of the ongoing negotiations is not publicly disclosed. Perhaps Moscow will be able to find a common language with Khartoum, perhaps the situation will be resolved differently, but Russia’s desire to strengthen its position in East Africa is undeniable.
Russia's interests here are clear. Our country intends to restore its position as a great power. While the Soviet Union maintained its presence in the region and maintained wide and varied political ties from Indochina to the African coast, after its collapse Russia seriously lost its position and has a very weak presence in both southern Asia and eastern Africa. Meanwhile, the potential of our country is great, and projects in the field of infrastructure, energy, global trade, extraction and processing of resources can bring a lot of benefits to both Russia and its partners.
However, good wishes and economic ties are only part of what Russia can give to the region. All our efforts in this direction must be backed by force. And here we have something to offer – both to governments and to the business community of partner states.
In recent years, Russia has managed to very effectively solve problems related to threats to the national security of our allies. And there are enough countries in the region that need the participation of powerful powers interested in lasting peace in order to resolve conflicts that have been smoldering for years or are blazing in full swing in the region.
For example, Mozambique on the southeast African coast is desperately defending itself from attacks by the local affiliate of the Islamic State (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation). Mozambique is a poor country, but the country has a lot of untapped potential. Oil, gas, bauxite, titanium - this country is able to give a lot to those who can solve problems with the region's infrastructure and ensure security from terrorists. And this is just one example.
Of course, Russian military power is not as great (yet) as some other players. But as practice has shown, Russia, with its patrol ships and rooks, copes with cleaning up the world’s various rots better than some lucky owners of aircraft carrier fleets and squadrons of attack drones.
Some of our fellow citizens sneer sarcastically at the very idea that Russia is associated with order and legality, as well as with the development of infrastructure and the economy. But this is objectively true. Where Russia comes, the world becomes safer and calmer.
A few years ago, a civil war raged in Syria, killing people by the tens of thousands every year. In the first months of this expedition, the simplest modest thesis “Russia will probably be able to stabilize the legitimate government of Syria” did not even sound optimistic; to many it seemed like jingoism divorced from reality. Many people expected the defeat and disgrace of our expeditionary force, some with fear, some with gloating. Then there were the streets of Aleppo and the suburbs of Damascus, captured “shahidmobiles” and executioner’s swords of militants at exhibitions in Moscow, and the banners of all sorts of “Jabhat” and “Dauli” banned in Russia thrown into the dust. And even if it were an ancient theater, it would be the Reichstag.
It turned out that several dozen aircraft, special forces, advisers and “calibers” sent to the right addresses, with proper use, energy and sufficient skill of diplomats, officials, businessmen and military personnel, could turn the tide of the war in a country of twenty million and cool down one of the hottest spots on the planet. This war cannot be said to be completely over, but the number of casualties has dropped by an order of magnitude, and the war has shifted from the streets of megacities to the periphery, to remote corners and wastelands.
Then literally several hundred instructors, old Kalash rifles and Soviet armored cars, coupled with the same diplomatic efforts, made it possible to stabilize the Central African Republic - one of the poorest countries in the world, where they had already forgotten how to drive to the neighboring city without fear of thugs in an ambush - is it even possible.
In Karabakh, the Russian peacekeeping contingent appeared like cavalry in a Western - two seconds before a real catastrophe and mass death of the population. Really, we did better than some.
At the moment when these lines are being written, in Afghanistan, the terrorist movement Taliban, banned in Russia, is watching with emotion as the world superpower in all its strength and glory is evacuated from the country. This same superpower and a whole team of smaller allies have not figured out what to do with Libya, which with their help and blessing was simply destroyed, and Iraq has somehow stabilized after decades of a monstrously cruel and bloody war perpetrated by the main stronghold of world democracy.
Of course, Western countries have had successes, and things don’t always go smoothly for Russia, but the fact is that our power among the world’s peacemakers does not lag behind others and is ahead of many.
Naturally, Russia is not doing all this out of pure altruism. Security is not only a value, it is also a service. Which costs, if not money, then influence. You need to understand that this is a long-term job, and it is worth investing in domination of the seas once in order to gain control over water areas for decades.
The power of a great power is not only a burden, but also an opportunity that opens up in world politics, economics, and trade. Russian citizens are accustomed to living in a great power. No need to change habits.
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