Special Session. Man and Time: the Role of Personality in Political History

Personality has always meant a lot in world politics, but its weight has varied at different times. Highly personalized periods were replaced by those when institutions and collective interests played a major role. Now the world stage is once again going through a period when it increasingly depends on the heads of state. The participants of the special session of the 22nd Valdai Club’s Annual Meeting discussed the role of personality in political history. What does the politics of strong personalities mean in the 21st century? Have we returned to the “diplomacy of kings” to solve the most pressing problems? Speakers: · Alexander Lomanov, Deputy Director for Academic Work, Head of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies, IMEMO Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences; · Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, Ambassador; Former Senior Undersecretary at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, UN Assistant Secretary General; · Pamela Yong, Chairman, Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research; · Adil Kaukenov, Director, Belt and Road Science-Educational Centre; · Mark Episkopos, Research Fellow, Eurasia Program, Quincy Institute – online Moderator: Lydia Kulik, Head of India Studies, SKOLKOVO School of Management; Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Indian Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences