Pan-African Frequency

Beyond Economics: How Russia Makes Military Multipolarity Real

Russia's Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile test signals a multipolar world, blending economic and military dimensions. It also reminds of the historical narrative of Soviet support for Africa's liberation struggles. This powerful combination is reshaping global alliances in the new world order.
Sputnik
In an interview with Sputnik Africa, Zwelethu Jolobe, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Cape Town, framed Russia’s successful Burevestnik test as an unmistakable message to the international community. According to him, the missile testing signals that multipolarity isn't just economic; it is also military.
“I think the message that Russia wants to convey is that we're no longer in a world where you've got one power that has got nuclear capabilities. I think the message is that Russia does have capabilities that can match any country in the world. And that when we think about multipolarity, it isn't only about multipolarity in terms of economic terms; it's multipolarity in terms of military capabilities [...] Russia's possession of the nuclear-powered cruise missile is definitely a deterrent, firstly, and is definitely designed to influence global perceptions about Russia. And there are three here. The first one is that we have to be aware that Russia is the biggest country in the world. So in terms of its landmass, it covers a very, very big chunk of the world. Secondly, Russia equally is a country that has got a lot of natural resources, so it's a heavy resource-based country, and the third point is that therefore it does have the ability to be self-sufficient [...] so when one is looking at, say, debates about polarity, we have to, as a matter of urgency, have Russia in that conversation,” Jolobe noted.
This episode also features an interview about the exhibition in South Africa dedicated to the Soviet and Russian role in the struggle for liberation in Southern Africa with Sputnik Africa’s correspondent and Dr. Daria Zelenova, the head of the Research Centre for African Strategy in BRICS at the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

I remember that we had, unfortunately, this ignorance of Africa and of the Soviet Union's collaboration with Africa. But today it's good that the situation has changed and there is much attention in Russian society. I'm not only talking about the political sphere; I'm just talking about random people. Much more attention has gone to Africa, and people are really interested in what's going on the continent. People know that Africa is not a country and that there are hundreds of thousands of cultures and languages, etc. And so learning through history is also very important because you will find answers to questions in the present-day collaboration between, for instance, Moscow or the ANC [African National Congress] or Russian people and South African people [....] when you do research, you discover that African nations and African peoples had their own agencies, had their own views about what's going on the continent, they had their own views about socialism and about capitalism and many other systems. This is very important to rediscover through collaboration with Southern African and African scholars,” Zelenova explained.

Dr. Zelenova’s work on exhibitions dedicated to the Soviet and Russian role in Southern Africa’s liberation struggles is more than an academic exercise. It is an act of reclaiming a narrative.
This episode also features:
Efa Muleta, State Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture in Ethiopia
Tune in to listen to the full conversation with our guests on the Pan African Frequency podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.

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