A conversation with author and historian Matt Ehret covering Russian and Chinese global 'soft power' projects. Unlike Western neocolonialism which has destroyed and divided continents and destabilised sovereign nations to enable the plunder of resources and stunted development of 'third world' countries and peoples - the Russian and Chinese model is based upon unity and 'win, win'. The focus is on the improvement of industrial and civilian infrastructure rather than its destruction. Russia and China should not be seen as a saviour but rather as a pragmatic, rational alternative to the decades of Western tyranny and supremacy. Will their 'new world order' be better than the US-led version? Time will tell but the advancement of Russia and China is not going to be stopped.

Connecting continents with Russian and Chinese soft power - Matt Ehret

vanessa beeley