By Vestnik Kavkaza
The Ukrainian crisis, which has resulted in an actual civil war, is still in the centre of attention of all media agencies and all experts in former Soviet countries. Moreover, some young analysts are expressing a biased approach on social networks and blogs, even though during conferences and workshops they are trying to look impartial. This tendency was particularly apparent during the recent siege of Sloviansk, which was covered by some in a very prejudiced way and provoked others to respond in a similar way.
Why is this so? The first reason is that the Ukrainian crisis caused a vehement polarization in the societies of all the former Soviet republics. It would be naive to believe that all experts would support the People's Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. If such a split exists, in Russia it will obviously emerge in other countries as well, including those of Central Asia and South Caucasus.
In addition to this, for many years the strategy of containment of both Russia's increasing political ambitions and Western countries' powers has been an important part of regional policy. The Ukrainian crisis has strengthened the positions of those who believe Eurasian integration may threaten the real independence of regional countries.
Should one discuss such matters with those who demonstrate a completely different point from one or should one simply ignore them? We believe that such a discussion is absolutely essential for strengthening successful relations between different countries. One should not label its opponents as "being paid". It would be very unwise, for instance, to say that every expert who criticizes Russia's policy towards Ukraine is paid by Western special agencies. On the contrary, it would be sane to hold an open and honest discussion and raise mutual understanding.
It might be quite difficult, because there are not many ways of organizing such a discussion. Young experts from former Soviet republics often don't have a chance to talk to their colleagues from abroad. High-budget international forums, where everyone says the "right" things, became useless long ago. Those who take part in them no longer represent the opinions of the expert community in Russia or other countries. What we need is a new way to communicate, to hold a direct dialogue between analysts from Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Armenia, a direct dialogue between such experts as Semyon Uralov, Alexander Knyazev and Yevgeny Mincheko and young analysts from the South Caucasus and Central Asia. Such a dialogue should be honest and open. In this way it will be able to change the situation for the better. By being biased and using violent language young experts often become both the means and victims of the ongoing information war.
Vestnik Kavkaza is ready to cooperate with young researchers and journalists from Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and other former Soviet republics. The time has come for professionals to use their skills and talent for good and not for destruction, for the sake of friendship and cooperation, which has been typical for our countries.
