On Friday, 31 March Vladimir Putin signed into law the new Foreign Policy Concept which will guide Russian diplomacy in the years to come. It replaces the existing Concept promulgated eight years ago and sets out on 43 pages in logically organized form what we have been witnessing in Russia’s behavior on the world stage since the launch of the Special Military Operation in Ukraine and subsequent nearly complete rupture of relations with the US-led Collective West. There are few surprises in this document though there are some very important new directions taken over from the USSR which I will tweak out in a separate essay later today or tomorrow.
What I wish to call attention to here is how Russia’s new Foreign Policy Concept was greeted by the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and by an unidentified spokesman for the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office.
The UK spokesperson wrote: “April Fool’s Day tomorrow” with specific mention of the document released by the Russians. I have in front of me the respective news item in The Eastern Herald (India).
Borrell, who is not known for originality, picked up this convenient insult and used it to remark on another Russia-related development of the same day. He wrote: “Russia taking over today @UN Security Council presidency is fitting for April Fool’s day.”
Both statements were issued on their Twitter accounts. As they say, the medium (low-brow to be kind about it) is the message.
When diplomacy degenerates into crude insults as the UK and EU showed yesterday, we are well on our way to total war. Our foreign policy is being conducted by intellectually challenged people who have had a bad upbringing, sad to say.
The path before us is what the French call la déscente aux enfers. Whether we will emerge into a second life through Resurrection after hitting bottom depends on your religious beliefs.
©Gilbert Doctorow, 2023
Translations below into French (Youri), German (Andreas Mylaeus), Brazilian Portuguese (Evandro Menezes) and Spanish (Hugo Guido)
Descente aux enfers :
Les plus hauts diplomates européens sont presque au bout du chemin
Vendredi 31 mars, Vladimir Poutine a promulgué le nouveau concept de politique étrangère qui guidera la diplomatie russe dans les années à venir. Il remplace le concept existant, promulgué il y a huit ans, et expose en 43 pages, sous une forme structurée et logique, le comportement de la Russie sur la scène internationale depuis le lancement de l’opération militaire spéciale en Ukraine et la rupture presque totale des relations avec l’Occident collectif dirigé par les États-Unis qui s’en est suivie. Il y a peu de surprises dans ce document, bien qu’il y ait de nouvelles orientations très importantes reprises de l’URSS, que je présenterai dans un essai séparé plus tard dans la journée ou demain.
Je souhaite attirer l’attention sur l’accueil réservé au nouveau concept de politique étrangère de la Russie par le haut représentant de l’Union européenne pour les affaires étrangères et la politique de sécurité, Josep Borrell, et par un porte-parole non identifié du ministère des affaires étrangères du Royaume-Uni.
Le porte-parole britannique a écrit : « Poisson d’avril de demain » en mentionnant spécifiquement le document publié par les Russes. J’ai sous les yeux l’article en question paru dans le Eastern Herald (Inde).
M. Borrell, qui n’est pas connu pour son originalité, a repris cette insulte facile et l’a utilisée pour commenter un autre événement lié à la Russie survenu le même jour. Il a écrit : « L’arrivée de la Russie à la présidence du Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU est tout à fait appropriée pour un poisson d’avril ».
Les deux déclarations ont été publiées sur leurs comptes Twitter respectifs. Comme on dit, c’est le support (peu sérieux pour être gentil) qui fait le message.
Lorsque la diplomatie dégénère en insultes grossières, comme le Royaume-Uni et l’UE l’ont montré hier, nous sommes sur la voie de la guerre totale. Notre politique étrangère est menée par des personnes intellectuellement déficientes qui ont reçu une mauvaise éducation, c’est triste à dire.
Le chemin qui s’offre à nous est ce que les Français appellent la descente aux enfers. La question de savoir si nous émergerons dans une seconde vie grâce à la résurrection après avoir touché le fond dépend de vos croyances religieuses
Abstieg in die Hölle: Europas Spitzendiplomaten sind fast am Ende der Reise angelangt
Am Freitag, den 31. März, unterzeichnete Wladimir Putin das neue außenpolitische Konzept, das die russische Diplomatie in den kommenden Jahren leiten wird. Es ersetzt das vor acht Jahren verkündete Konzept und legt auf 43 Seiten in logisch gegliederter Form dar, was wir in Russlands Verhalten auf der Weltbühne seit dem Beginn der militärischen Sonderoperation in der Ukraine und dem anschließenden fast vollständigen Abbruch der Beziehungen zum kollektiven Westen unter Führung der USA beobachten können. Dieses Dokument birgt nur wenige Überraschungen, obwohl es einige sehr wichtige neue Richtungen enthält, die von der UdSSR übernommen wurden und auf die ich heute oder morgen in einem separaten Aufsatz näher eingehen werde.
Ich möchte hier darauf aufmerksam machen, wie das neue außenpolitische Konzept Russlands vom Hohen Vertreter für Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik der Europäischen Union, Josep Borrell, und von einem nicht identifizierten Sprecher des britischen Außenministeriums aufgenommen wurde.
Der britische Sprecher schrieb: “Morgen ist der Tag für einen Aprilscherz” und erwähnte dabei ausdrücklich das von den Russen veröffentlichte Dokument. Vor mir liegt die entsprechende Meldung in The Eastern Herald (Indien).
Borrell, der nicht gerade für seine Originalität bekannt ist, griff diese passende Beleidigung auf und nutzte sie, um auf eine andere russlandbezogene Entwicklung desselben Tages hinzuweisen. Er schrieb: “Dass Russland heute den Vorsitz im @UN-Sicherheitsrat übernimmt, passt zum Aprilscherz.”
Beide Erklärungen wurden auf ihren Twitter-Konten veröffentlicht. Wie man so schön sagt, ist das Medium (um es freundlich auszudrücken) die Botschaft.
Wenn die Diplomatie in plumpe Beleidigungen ausartet, wie das Vereinigte Königreich und die EU gestern gezeigt haben, sind wir auf dem besten Weg zum totalen Krieg. Unsere Außenpolitik wird von intellektuell herausgeforderten Menschen betrieben, die leider eine schlechte Erziehung genossen haben.
Der Weg, der vor uns liegt, ist das, was die Franzosen la déscente aux enfers nennen. Ob wir nach dem Aufprall auf den Boden der Tatsachen durch die Auferstehung in ein zweites Leben aufsteigen, hängt von Ihren religiösen Überzeugungen ab.
Descida ao Inferno: os principais diplomatas da Europa estão quase no fim do caminho
Na sexta-feira, 31 de março, Vladimir Putin sancionou o novo Conceito de Política Externa que guiará a diplomacia russa nos próximos anos. Ele substitui o Conceito existente, promulgado há oito anos, e expõe em 43 páginas, de forma logicamente organizada, o que temos testemunhado no comportamento da Rússia no cenário mundial desde o lançamento da Operação Militar Especial na Ucrânia e na subsequente ruptura quase completa das relações com o Ocidente Coletivo, liderado pelos EUA. Há poucas surpresas neste documento, embora haja algumas novas direções muito importantes tomada da URSS, que explorarei num ensaio separado ainda hoje ou amanhã.
Quero chamar a atenção aqui a como o novo Conceito de Política Externa da Rússia foi saudado pelo alto representante da União Européia para as Relações Exteriores e a Política de Segurança, Josep Borrell, e por um porta-voz não identificado do Ministério das Relações Exteriores do Reino Unido.
O porta-voz do Reino Unido escreveu: “Amanhã é o Dia da Mentira”, com menção específica ao documento divulgado pelos russos. Tenho diante de mim a respectiva notícia do The Eastern Herald (Índia).
Borrell, que não é conhecido pela originalidade, convenientemente pegou este insulto e o usou para comentar sobre outro desenvolvimento relacionado à Rússia no mesmo dia. Ele escreveu: “A Rússia assumir hoje a presidência do Conselho de Segurança da ONU é apropriado para o Dia da Mentira”.
Ambas as declarações foram emitidas em suas contas no Twitter. Como se costuma dizer, o meio (despretensiosamente, para ser gentil) é a mensagem.
Quando a diplomacia degenera em insultos grosseiros, como o Reino Unido e a UE mostraram ontem, estamos a caminho da guerra total. Nossa política externa está sendo conduzida por pessoas com deficiência intelectual que tiveram uma educação ruim, é triste se dizer.
O caminho diante de nós é o que os franceses chamam de la déscente aux enfers. Se vamos emergir para uma segunda vida através da Ressurreição depois de chegar ao fundo depende de suas crenças religiosas.
Descenso al infierno: los principales diplomáticos de Europa están casi al final del viaje
El viernes 31 de marzo, Vladimir Putin promulgó el nuevo Concepto de Política Exterior que guiará la diplomacia rusa en los próximos años. Reemplaza el Concepto existente promulgado hace ocho años y establece en 43 páginas en forma lógicamente organizada lo que hemos estado presenciando en el comportamiento de Rusia en el escenario mundial desde el lanzamiento de la Operación Militar Especial en Ucrania y la posterior ruptura casi completa de las relaciones con el Occidente colectivo liderado por Estados Unidos. Hay pocas sorpresas en este documento, aunque hay algunas nuevas direcciones muy importantes tomadas de la URSS que retomaré en un ensayo separado más tarde hoy o mañana.
Lo que quiero enfatizar aquí es cómo el nuevo Concepto de Política Exterior de Rusia fue recibido por el Alto Representante de la Unión Europea para Asuntos Exteriores y Política de Seguridad, Josep Borrell, y por un portavoz no identificado del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores del Reino Unido.
El portavoz del Reino Unido escribió: “Día de los inocentes mañana” con mención específica del documento publicado por los rusos. Tengo ante mí la noticia respectiva en The Eastern Herald (India).
Borrell, que no es conocido por su originalidad, recogió este conveniente insulto y lo usó para comentar otro asunto en curso relacionado con Rusia del mismo día. Escribió: “Rusia asumiendo hoy @UN Presidencia del Consejo de Seguridad es apropiado para el día de los inocentes”.
Ambas declaraciones fueron emitidas en sus cuentas de Twitter. Como dicen, el medio (de muy bajo nivel para ser amable al respecto) es el mensaje.
Cuando la diplomacia degenera en insultos crudos como el Reino Unido y la UE demostraron ayer, estamos en camino a la guerra total. Nuestra política exterior está siendo conducida por personas con discapacidad intelectual que han recibido una mala educación, es triste decirlo.
El camino que tenemos ante nosotros es lo que los franceses llaman la déscente aux enfers. Si emergeremos a una segunda vida a través de la Resurrección después de tocar fondo depende de sus creencias religiosas.
.
Gilbert Doctorow 
Thank you! I simply cannot even imagine how we can get out of this mess…..where are the statesmen in the West?
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I think you’re being excessively gloomy Mr Doctorow. The tabloid nature of public discourse, is prevalent in every sphere of politics in the West.
Also NATO armies are not fit for purpose. The UK armed forces for example are in an abysmal state.
Hence, they’ll bark at Russia the same way they’ve been doing at Iran for generations. With occasional surges of hysteria.
But they won’t take the final step of open war, the EU/US elites are cowards.
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I do not find Mr. Doctorow’s article to be unreasonably gloomy. We seem to have entered the hardening of the hearts phase and so the process that is in motion can no longer be stopped. You are making a counter argument based on rational thinking. But politics is not rational and cannot be understood from the point of view of rational calculation.
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Are there any knowledgeable, courteous, respectful diplomats left in the West? Is there anyone who is in the same league as Sergey Lavrov?
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The answer is: NO!! Far and wide no one in sight. And that has been the case for years!
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Yeah, that’s pretty much how I see it. Diplomacy demands give and take. The West can only think of taking.
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Why would any inteligent, well educated and well behaved diplomat have anything to do with idiots like that, who are even below the level of a former US president, not to mention the present insult to this post.
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I really cannot comprehend how the West, with a straight face, can claim war has never happened before
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Is there an English translation available yet?
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Full text in English of Russia’s new foreign policy concept.
https://sputniknews.com/20230331/full-text-russias-new-foreign-policy-concept-1108994715.html
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Regrettably the Sputnik News website is blocked here in Belgium and, I assume, in many other Collective West jurisdictions. But you can easily find this document in English translation on the Russian Foreign Ministry website: https://mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/fundamental_documents/1860586/
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Thank you, Gilbert, for the link to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website. Very helpful, and a read that I will scrutinise carefully.
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Once you become politically irrelevant, insults are all that is left to you.
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The insults are the result of a deep and unwelcome feeling of powerlessness on the part of many Western countries. For the past 30 years, western leaders and diplomats were used to slapping down any challenges from the rest of the world. They were the enlightened leading the rest of the world forward toward a better tomorrow. Yet here comes this has-been of a country, a “gas station masquerading as a country”, challenging the Western order directly in Europe itself, and Europe (this way of thinking seems more widespread in Europe than in the USA actually) despite extreme full-spectrum efforts, has been unable to bend the situation to its will. For more than one year. Sanctions from hell, depletion of weapons stocks, even indicting the has-been country president for war crimes, and still the war goes on and Europeans scream on without result. It would be one thing is it were china doing this, because there is a respect for China, but it is precisely because there is no respect for Russia that the lack of agency is most galling. This is something new and deeply unwelcome, which is why we see this sort of flailing and insulting going on.
Americans see things differently, from a distance. There is not nearly as much emotional involvement, and I think there is a conscious American strategy to take out Russia at relatively little American cost with this war, and provide a warning to China of what will come its way if it follows suit in Taiwan.
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I agree on the US strategy to take out Russia but it seems not to be working! The US has succeeded though in cementing the vassal status of Europe. But I do wonder how long lived that success will be. Possibly a Pyrrhic victory. Additionally, I think that Biden and his close circle of Neo Cons are emotionally vested in their struggle against Putin. Even if the broader US Deep State and society are not.
With respect to the U.K. Foreign Office they are utterly deplorable and I am British. Agree fully that these insults and spurious attempts to prosecute President Putin are simply a reaction to their total lack of relevance. There were some comments on Twitter that the April Fools tweet was a result of the kids being in charge of Twitter posting. My fear is that such kids (who may actually not be so young) are in charge of the whole show. Lavrov, Putin and their Chinese equivalents look utterly professional when compared to this shower. Castlereagh and Palmerston would be shocked, although I do wonder if the current British Foreign Secretary and senior civil servants even know who they were.
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Great Britain has a proud history in warfare. But the current crop of retired U.K. military officers mocking Russia’s armed forces is a pathetic spectacle. As in the U.S. only those veterans who espouse the current propaganda narrative are ever invited to speak. They sound much like the worst sort of British colonialist buffoons of the early 1900’s. Preening themselves as superior in all things as their bankrupt empire fades into oblivion. Russia is far from perfect, but it is more of a rising power as compared with a downward spiraling Britain. Loud mouthed airhead Ursula Von der Leyen now projects a more powerful presence than Britain’s King Charles. Though nobody around the world cares much what either of them spews forth.
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Dear Dr. Doctorow –
No need to be so uppity regarding twitter, after all, you do have an option to ‘share this’ on ‘low brow’ twitter.
Not to mention the fact that there are also some great journalists on twitter.
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Twitter needs a closed captioning feature.
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As for journalists, given the level of their professionalism these days when the print media in particular have been wrecked economically more than 20 years ago by the internet, let them use Twitter. What’s the difference? However, it is unseemly for a state to make policy declarations in miniscule twitters. Politics should be about reasonable discussion in conditions of politesse. It is a sad commentary on the degeneracy of our times that when you look at the Kennedy-Nixon televised debates of 1960 it looks like they lived on a different planet from ours today. And they were mortal enemies politically speaking.
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Twitter is just today’s news wire of old, but a wire that the masses can have access to, should they want.
Twitter also doesn’t preclude ‘reasonable discussion in conditions of politesse’.
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As a a Gedanken experiment, let us suppose that Borell thinks he is exceptional. That because he is exceptional, he is not bound by the rules of ordinary mortals. The key question is, will this feeling of exceptionalism permit him to destroy mankind? If history is a guide, it will. Hitler was the apotheosis of exceptionalism, and he would have destroyed mankind without hesitation. The myth that the West, especially the US, defeated Hitler makes it feel especially exceptional. I agree. we are headed for nuclear war.
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The hope is that the EU populations at large is not formed of lemmings. Hungary could lead the way… France shows some spine… See who wants to die on the bloody fields of Ukraine? Or even worst, in their homes, nuked?
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Reblogged this on Unorthodox Truth.
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‘The path before us is what the French call la déscente aux enfers. Whether we will emerge into a second life through Resurrection after hitting bottom depends on your religious beliefs.’ Very well put, Mr. Doctorow. Much of the decline of Europe and the U.S. can be traced to the fading away of religious teaching in the West. Left to their own impulses and desires, freed from nobler thoughts, the citizens of the West and our institutions are in rapid decline. I would never insist that anyone be required to adhere to any religion. But the conduct and results of a life with one’s self as the center of the universe is a fool’s errand. La déscente aux enfers, absolument.
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I agree, it’s rather childish of “diplomats” to tweet such silly comments. But, for par condicio, let’s not forget Medvedev’s constant ranting on Telegram. If his posts were official communications, we’d not just be at war, but already incinerated (at least I would be). I have always been curious about what his posts really intend to achieve, or how they should be read in this context. When Le Hague pronounced its verdict on Putin, he used the very-well known emoji of toilet paper. I guess my point is that today, unlike at the time of Kennedy and Nixon, the availability of social media, which are simultaneously used by politicians, teenagers, savants, and the great unwashed, allow for another level of communication, and definitely not a very professional one.
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What this behaviour reflects is the fact that the war is not really against Russia but against the citizenry generally. The British Army now ‘fights’ against tadicalism in Britain, as does the rest of The Establishment. The Enemy is not Putin but Corbyn and the options that his politics represent. The main threat to imperialism is internal- as the Russians and Chinese are aware, it is what allows them to proceed with such patience and restraint.
The conditions already exist, in the form of declining standards of living, the increasing difficulties in the way of social mobility, a growing sense of pessimism and insecurity, for new political options to recive a wide hearing in societies across Europe.
That is why it is more important than ever, for those who rule society, to censor opinion, control debate and shout down dissidents.
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