Author: Ion Balan – 23/09/2024
Sovereignty in the XXIst century. Moldova in focus.
The war in Ukraine and Gaza, globalization, migration crisis, the growth of nationalism in Europe and many other acute processes make politicians, diplomats, experts and citizens of any country think – what is sovereignty in the modern world and how to protect it? This is especially relevant for small countries, such as Switzerland, Moldova, Ireland and others, which are still trying to preserve their neutral status.
On the initiative of civil society in Moldova, the V International Conference “Europe in the XXI century. Sovereignty. Rethinking”, had place in Chisinau on September 10-11, which was attended by experts from Switzerland, France, Great Britain, Moldova and other countries. We publish the main conclusions of the expert discussions.
“Sovereignty in the XXIst century and future scenarios”.
The conference started with a summary of the ideas of the experts voiced at a similar conference in Geneva in March 2024, organized by representatives of Swiss and Moldovan civil society. They talked about how sovereignty developed and what was the “Golden Age” of sovereignty in the XXth century, how the waves of sovereignty of countries took place and what are the key components of sovereignty in the modern world. These are: spatial sovereignty or security; digital sovereignty; food sovereignty; socio-cultural sovereignty as the basis of national sovereignty of the XXI century.
American-Swiss expert Daniel Warner is convinced that sovereignty is part of an outdated 17th century international model. The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 was instrumental in creating the modern international system of state sovereignty. It introduced modern international relations, relations between sovereign countries as we know them today. But they are challenged. The international system is becoming global while remaining international at the same time. Transnational corporations, armed non-state actors, individuals such as Bezos, Zuckerberg, Musk and Gates, now act in many ways as sovereign powers….. “We live in a hybrid world where state sovereignty still exists, but now new notions of sovereignty are coming into play. Sovereignty 2.0 is a hybrid of national, international and global”, – Daniel Warner said.
During the conference, French geopolitical expert Hicheme Lehmici presented several scenarios for the future:
1984: Totalitarian Control. Inspired by George Orwell’s anti-utopian novel, this scenario describes a future in which governments, in collaboration with Big Tech giants, exercise absolute cognitive control over people, destroying their free will. In this world, democracy is nothing more than a facade, and elections and important decisions are manipulated to maintain the illusion of unanimity. Through the exhaustive exploitation of personal data and BIG DATA analysis, governments can control and direct citizens without the use of physical force, establishing a totalitarian regime in the guise of technology.
Opium Wars 2.0: Domination through Disorientation. This scenario recalls the devastating impact of opium on imperial China to illustrate how the meta-universe, by imposing itself as a new reality, plunges the population into existential confusion. Total immersion in the virtual universe weakens the foundations of physical reality, paving the way for authoritarian regimes that take advantage of this collective disorientation to consolidate their power over people deprived of critical thinking and the ability to question the decisions of the authorities.
The Greek dream: realization through technology. This optimistic scenario envisions a future in which technological advances in robotics, digital technology, and artificial intelligence will bring about the end of labor as we know it. Inspired by the vision of the ancient Greek philosophers, for whom leisure was the prerogative of the free man, this world aspires to a society where everyone, freed from the constraints of work, can devote themselves to self-actualization, creativity and the pursuit of knowledge. This modern Greek dream realizes the ideal of a liberated humanity, where technology serves as a catalyst for the ultimate redefinition of human existence.
Sovereignty of small countries
During the international conference in Chisinau: “Europe in the XXIst century. Sovereignty. Rethinking”, former Swiss Ambassador to Israel, Turkey and Serbia Jean-Daniel Ruch expressed the opinion that we live in times of acute polarization and it is very difficult for small states to resist pressure from big players, which is also true for Switzerland. “Our Confederation, like Moldova, I believe, has not found a way to maintain a consensus within its society on how to preserve its sovereignty in order to best protect national interests. Neutrality is threatened as our neighbors pressure us to take sides. If we want to survive as useful nations in the new conflict between East and West, we must reaffirm the importance of neutral states in Europe as a factor of peace and security,” – the Swiss expert is convinced.
Speaking about the internal and external dimensions of Moldova’s sovereignty, Moldovan-Swiss expert Ecaterina Cojuhari emphasized that the country’s economy is one of the main pillars of sovereignty: “Moldova’s European integration process may seem quite successful from the outside. But the current economic problems, the growth of external debt of the “euro zone” countries, the shift of emphasis in the EU on the development of the military-industrial complex at the expense of reducing social programs do not allow us to fully expect that Moldova’s integration with the EU will contribute to the progressive development of its economy, improving the standard of living in the country. Gaining momentum in the transformation of the unipolar model of the world into a multipolar format and the economic opportunities that are opening up raise the question: why does Moldova look only in one direction and does not develop relations with different centers of power, including the SCO, BRICS, etc.?”.
Also one of the important steps to strengthen Moldova’s sovereignty, according to the expert, could be a policy of active support of neutrality and open dialog with Tiraspol. It is important for Moldova to focus on the settlement of the Transnistrian problem exclusively by peaceful means through the resumption of the work of multilateral formats that have proved their effectiveness. At the same time, it is important to avoid the negative example of Ukraine, which refused to take into account the opinion of the part of the population living in the east of the country. “The experience of multinational and multilingual Switzerland, which remains outside the EU and NATO, but has established mutually beneficial interaction with them without compromising its neutrality is inspiring. Therefore, the preservation of Moldova’s sovereign, neutral and non-bolk status is a guarantee of the country’s security and economic development, as well as the main condition for preserving its territorial integrity,”- Ecaterina Cojuhari is convinced.
How to protect sovereignty?
According to Moldovan economic expert Serghei Banari, sovereignty is the supremacy and independence of state power both inside and outside society, independence from foreign states. However, nowadays all kinds of tools to undermine or destroy sovereignty are actively used, such as: corrupt ruling class; making decisions not on the basis of economic interests but political ones; coming to power of people whose popularity is the result of PR campaign rather than experience, achievements and results; substitution of notions, depriving people of cultural and mental sovereignty; rewriting history and depriving people of historical sovereignty; PR, when fictitious threats and fears are created to block people’s brains in order to manipulate their minds; “What is fundamental to nation building and sovereignty building? Personal responsibility from the bottom to the top,” – Serghei Banari is sure.
During the conference, the experts of the “Intellect Group” consulting company – Ian Lisnevski and Doctor of Political Sciences Nicolay Tsveatkov, held a closed show of the results of public polls concerning the political and economic situation in Moldova. For example, to the question “To what genre of movie would you compare the current situation in Moldova?”, the citizens of the Republic answered: “Horror movie – 42,2% and about 20% each – thriller and drama”.
Of particular interest was the report by Anatolii Tcaci, Doctor of Political Science of Moldova, on how the process of “denaturalization” of Moldova and reduction of its sovereignty is gradually taking place. A strategy was presented, supported by facts, in which the Western powers realized that the discussion about joining NATO is unacceptable for the Moldovan society and started to anticipate bilateral cooperation with a number of NATO member states, which will act not on behalf of the Alliance, but on their own behalf. On November 8, 2023, the Moldovan Ministry of Defense and the French Ministry of Armed Forces announced the signing of a cooperation agreement that provides for, among other things, “control and management of Moldovan airspace”. A similar military agreement was signed soon after between the EU and Moldova, then Romania and Moldova. “The process of accelerated capacity building of Moldova’s security and defense system, chosen by the country’s leadership as a strategic imperative – does not meet the national interests and sovereign choice of the Moldovan people,” – Anatolii Tcaci thinks, “Moldova’s security system based on permanent and internationally recognized neutrality with security guarantees is the only constructive strategic imperative. The main argument in its favor is that Moldova’s neutrality meets fundamental or vital national interests, and its abandonment puts the country’s existence in question.”
V International Conference “Europe in the XXI century. Sovereignty. Rethinking” provoked a lively discussion among journalists, politicians and experts. Held under the aegis of “Moldova Security Platform”, the conference was organized by “Intellect Group”, “AxisMundi.Switzerland” and “Spero-Moldova”.
