Two decades on from its emergence as a marketing ploy, the concept has enjoyed an unlikely upturn By Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs, chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, and research director of the Valdai International Discussion Club.

Moscow does not want a conflict with the Western-led bloc but is ready for any outcome, Russian president says Russia is “always ready for any scenario,” President Vladimir Putin told journalists on Saturday, commenting on a potential direct confrontation between the Russian and NATO militaries. The president was answering a question about recent near-collisions involving…

[unable to retrieve full-text content]