The international scientific-practical conference «Yalta 1945: Lessons of History» dedicated to the 81st anniversary of the Big Three meeting has opened at the Livadia Palace. Leading historians and political scientists told «Crimean Magazine» in exclusive comments about the parallels between the historical decisions of 1945 and the current geopolitical situation.
It is symbolic that the discussion of new approaches to studying the Yalta Conference is taking place right now, when the world is in the process of forming a new international order. Conference participants are not just analyzing historical documents — they are seeking answers to questions about the future of the international relations system.
PARADOX OR HYPOCRISY?
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of Moscow State Linguistic University Alexey Plotnikov drew attention to the paradoxes of modern foreign policy. In his opinion, Russia insufficiently uses obvious violations of international law by Western partners in diplomatic discourse.
«What Trump has done fr om the point of view of any norms of international law qualifies as international banditry. Why do Republicans threaten us with a tribunal for the SMO when they themselves violate all possible norms?», — the professor asks.
He believes that Russia should more actively demonstrate disagreement with the «law of the jungle» that they are trying to impose on the world, using traditional forms of public protest for our country.
UNREALIZED DREAMS
American director, founder of the organization «Friends of Crimea in the USA» Reginald Tremblay sees a direct connection between the unrealized hopes of Yalta-1945 and modern problems.
«Well, it actually started in 1945 with Truman. Truman completely destroyed the dream of Yalta in 1945. As soon as he became president, he turned against the Soviet Union», noted the American guest.
In his opinion, the importance of such conferences is not in specific results, but in changing people's thinking through understanding historical processes.
NEW PRINCIPLES NEED TO BE FIXED
Doctor of Political Sciences, Vice-Rector of V.I. Vernadsky CFU Sergey Yurchenko offered a broader view of the lessons of history. Analyzing the experience of the Versailles-Washington system and the Yalta agreements, he identified the key success factor of any international order — the satisfaction of the main players.
«After Versailles, not all countries were satisfied — England and France acted as guardians of the system, but Germany remained humiliated, which led to a new war. In Yalta, a balance of interests was achieved», the professor explained.
Speaking about the current situation, Yurchenko sees a new trend in the development of international order — claims of individual countries to the role of world regulators and to new territories.
«Each era brings something new. Today we observe attempts to revise the rules of the game established after 1991, but without formal consolidation of new principles, as it was after the collapse of the USSR or the unification of Germany», the expert noted.
THERE ARE RESULTS
Representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Simferopol Artem Berezovsky emphasized the practical significance of such scientific forums for diplomatic work.
«In recent years, some ideas voiced at conferences have been taken into account and used in the work of individual departments of the Foreign Ministry, including in preparation for negotiations», the diplomat said.
He noted the special value of situations when experts from different countries independently come to similar assessments:
«It is worth a lot when people located in different hemispheres of the Earth agree in opinion. It means we are going in the right direction».
BEHIND THE SCENES OF BIG AGREEMENTS
The first day of the conference began with a solemn ceremony of laying flowers at the monument to the leaders of the Big Three. In the White Hall of the Livadia Palace, wh ere 81 years ago the fate of the post-war world was decided, today reports on new challenges to international security are being heard.
Special interest was aroused by the exhibition «Top Secret: Security of the Crimean Conference» that opened in the museum. For the first time, recently declassified documents on ensuring the 1945 meeting, special passes to the «special district zone», and award certificates of conference security participants are presented. These materials show the scale of preparation for the historic meeting and remind us that behind the scenes of big agreements there is always enormous work by many people.
The conference continued its work on February 5. It is expected that researchers from Russia, CIS countries and far abroad will participate in the sectional meetings. Their task is not just to remember the lessons of the past, but also to propose options for building a just world order in the face of modern challenges.
