“We have the most unpredictable decade ahead of us,” Russian President Putin stated in his speech at the Valdai Discussion Club meeting on October 28th. His speech and the post-speech discussion which followed are almost as admirable, clear and concise, as the famous speech he gave in Munich, in 2007. That we have the most unpredictable decade ahead of us is almost an understatement. We live in such uncertain times, marked by oil wars and nuclear threats rhetoric promoted by the western mainstream media, with no end in sight.

Global development has been uneven throughout most of history, with large corporations profiting, while poor states have remained poor despite their vast reserves of crucial natural resources. “Look at Africa, look at South America – these regions have a great potential, and we are going to see them develop. The majority should benefit from world trade, not just individual super-rich corporations,” President Putin noted in his speech at the Valdai Discussion Club meeting. His words echoed throughout much of the world. Yes-much of the world, despite what you may read in Washington Post, der Spiegel, hear on CTV news, etc. Most of the “non-civilized, barbaric” East, African countries and the Global South, have maintained a neutral position in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, promoting a peaceful solution. On the other hand, the collective West, channeling billions dollars worth of weapons to Ukraine, seeks to weaken Russia militarily short- and long-term, in addition to the long list of economic restrictions and movement restrictions implemented toward the Russian citizens. Countries cooperating, or enjoying close relations with Russia, have been threatened with sanctions also by the United States government. Therefore, it continues to be of utmost importance for these countries to establish mechanisms for cooperation with their regional partners, free of external influence. It is important that they continue striving for higher energy independence with support of partners willing to share their knowledge and expertise for benefit of all involved.

The collective West’s mindless policies not only threaten the mankind with energy crisis emerging from oil wars, but with possibility of a nuclear confrontation as well. President Putin has stated numerous times that Russia will not resort to use of nuclear weapons, nor did he ever threaten to do so, if one listens to his public appearances, despite misinterpretation of his words by the western mainstream media. Ukrainian President Zelensky, however, did call for pre-emptive nuclear strikes on Russian territory. Collective West continuously promotes the nuclear war rhetoric, just as they promote tighter restrictions on Russia’s economy, and its gas and oil exports in particular. However, the fact of the matter is that these restrictions are hurting their own citizens the most.

As the US President Biden withdraws oil from the US strategic reserve in hope of keeping the gas prices lower in the period leading up to the US midterm elections, OPEC+ has agreed to reduce its production by 2 million barrels of oil per day beginning on November 1st. The US has only used its strategic oil reserves three times in the past, but none of the previous Presidents have withdrawn nearly as much as the Biden administration. This poor strategic decision made by the current US administration has left the United States with critical shortages of diesel fuel, which are at historic low currently. The US only has enough diesel to last 25 days, as reported by Bloomberg recently. Many economic experts predict that this could lead to energy lockdowns if this trend continues, especially as embargo on Russia’s oil comes into effect on December 5th. Everything in our societies depends on diesel fuel: gasoline is delivered to the gas stations using trucks operating on diesel fuel, agricultural machinery uses diesel, trucks delivering food use diesel, medication transport and much, much more. So, do you really believe that not being able to put gas in your car due to shortages at the pumps, or by seeing empty shelves in your local grocery store, that will result in a regime change in Russia and peace will flourish? If you do, that is really foolish. Even the West’s push toward a quick transition to green energy will likely be disastrous, as platinum and palladium are two key elements in a clean energy future, but they are also two resources of which Russia and South Africa hold the largest world reserves.

Cooperation with Russia has only benefited the collective West for decades. It provided its western partners with natural resources at affordable prices, which in turn helped the western states build their industries and thus be very competitive. An offer of peace, of cooperation and of continued negotiations was extended by Kremlin, and President Putin himself, on a number of occasions, yet each time it was sabotaged. Even during the Valdai speech, he clearly stated that Russia is willing to negotiate a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. At the same time, John Kirby publicly stated that “Putin is not willing to sit at the negotiating table.” Either they are not listening, or they are simply so close minded and focused solely, with all their might, on destroying Russia.

The United States, as the leader in the currently ongoing fiasco it orchestrated, could really use a J.F. Kennedy to lead it back onto a progressive, rather than a destructive path. I was fascinated by former President Kennedy’s June 10th, 1963 speech the very first time I read it ages ago during my post-secondary studies. I closely studied it several times after, finding new meaning in it each time I read it. The world then, just as it is now, was at a turning point in history. October is the month that marks a 60 year anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which rational leaders, such as J. F. Kennedy, managed to de-escalate and save the world from nuclear war. Speaking at the American University in Washington, DC a few months later, on June 10th, 1963, he stated: “The most important topic on earth: Peace. What kind of peace do I mean? What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and build a better life for their children-not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women-not merely peace in our time but peace for all time.”

Just as former President Kennedy stated in his speech at the time, genuine peace must be the product of many nations and it must be dynamic, changing to meet the challenges of each new generation. The notion of democracy and the set of values represented by this concept, just like the notion of dynamic peace, must be evolving, adaptable to the context of each state so to align with states’ internal administrative structures, cultural, ethnic and religious diversities. It is not a single, static concept which can simply be imposed in a form known to the United States and its western allies. In order for this to be achieved, a greater understanding of “the other” is required. Times change and, with it, new advancements emerge, nations evolve, therefore it is important not to remain trapped in the past. The Soviet Union dissolved decades ago, therefore the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO), designed to safeguard western allies’ interests and territorial security against the Soviet Union, should have been dissolved following the fall of the Soviet Union. Only with such an act would West have promoted greater understanding of Russia’s territorial security concerns. Only with such an act the world would have been able to rise above present-day challenges and confront them in a peaceful manner, avoiding millions of deaths and many conflicts, including the one in Ukraine, which has resulted in far-reaching negative consequences to all mankind.

Out of 332 million people living in the United States, there must be another Kennedy somewhere, ready and willing to take on a challenge of transforming the United States government from a warmongering one, as it has become known worldwide, to one that will understand concerns of both its allies and its opponents, and seek to overcome global challenges in a peaceful manner, because “our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet; we all breathe the same air; we all cherish our children’s future; and we are all mortal.” (JFK)