https://www.scmp.com/rss/321170/feed James V. Wertsch is David R. Francis distinguished professor and director emeritus of the McDonnell International Scholars Academy at Washington University in St Louis, where he teaches courses in anthropology and global studies. He is a consulting professor at Fudan University, an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Education and a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His latest book is How Nations Remember: A Narrative Approach. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com During the past year, an interesting booklet has appeared in Russia titled I Live, I Fight, I Win: Rules of Life in War. Approved by the Russian authorities, its intended audience is soldiers swept up in the Ukraine invasion. It includes sections titled “What a Special Military Operation Is” and “In Ukraine We Are Defending Russia”. But perhaps the most eye-catching chapter is “The Great Patriotic War 2.0”, which reflects a vision of today’s war as an updated version, or even continuation, of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3212065/russias-narrative-great-patriotic-war-ukraine-must-be-buried?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3212065/russias-narrative-great-patriotic-war-ukraine-must-be-buried?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Mar 2023 19:30:09 +0000 Russian President Vladimir Putin’s world view is heavily shaped by a few basic national narratives, and he has toggled back and forth among them as he has become more desperate to convince Russians – and perhaps himself – that the war in Ukraine is worth fighting. If the West had understood this, it might not have been repeatedly surprised by his decisions. Initially, it was hard to believe that he would invade – until he did. Then, after Russia’s embarrassing military setbacks, it seemed he... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197830/ukraine-war-west-must-grasp-putins-world-view-avoid-further-russian-surprises?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197830/ukraine-war-west-must-grasp-putins-world-view-avoid-further-russian-surprises?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Oct 2022 17:00:14 +0000 To the astonishment of most of the world, a respected polling organisation in Moscow recently reported an 83 per cent domestic approval rating for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Given the war in Ukraine, Westerners by and large cannot fathom how this could be true. After all, Putin’s invasion now looks like a colossal mistake. It has resurrected Ukrainian nationalism, unified Nato, and shocked the world in its brutal attacks on Ukrainian civilians, including children. Many Westerners opine... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3174286/what-lies-behind-russian-support-putins-war-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3174286/what-lies-behind-russian-support-putins-war-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Apr 2022 19:30:19 +0000 On Monday, Vladimir Putin recognised the independence of two separatist regions of Ukraine, pushing Russian actions one step closer to large-scale conflict in Europe. In doing this, the Russian president is following the same game plan that he used in the five-day war with Georgia in 2008, meaning that the next step will be calls by ethnic Russians in these regions for Moscow to rescue them from alleged “genocide” by Ukrainians. But this is a much more serious conflict than in Georgia and is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3167918/grand-narrative-driving-putins-vision-strong-and-spiritually-pure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3167918/grand-narrative-driving-putins-vision-strong-and-spiritually-pure?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Feb 2022 17:30:09 +0000 Nations live by their narratives. This comes through clearly when stories about the past are used to mobilise a nation in the present, something Russian President Vladimir Putin is doing as he ramps up tensions with Ukraine. His dog-whistle comments about Ukrainian “fascists” and their “genocide” of ethnic Russians point to a shared story about World War II, or the “Great Patriotic War” as it is known in Russia. This, in turn, is part of a larger world view in which Russia is under constant... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3161238/how-russia-and-ukraines-duelling-national-narratives-are-stoking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3161238/how-russia-and-ukraines-duelling-national-narratives-are-stoking?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Dec 2021 19:30:17 +0000 On July 14, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order to cancel the Fulbright exchange programme with China and Hong Kong. This decision appears to stem from the Trump administration’s desire to appear tough on China in the midst of a presidential campaign. Whatever the motivation, the order causes damage to a flagship programme that underpins America’s soft power in the world. The Fulbright Programme was created in the wake of the second world war, when president Harry Truman signed a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3095015/why-trumps-order-end-china-fulbright-exchange-dangerous?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3095015/why-trumps-order-end-china-fulbright-exchange-dangerous?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jul 2020 21:10:09 +0000 In April, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against China for alleged acts of irresponsibility over the Covid-19 pandemic. He charged that Chinese officials “are responsible for the enormous death, suffering and economic losses they inflicted on the world, including Missourians”. Since then, many other lawsuits, including class actions that would represent thousands of people and businesses, have been filed in places like California and Florida. None of these suits stands... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3085005/us-coronavirus-lawsuits-pick-scabs-chinas-century-humiliation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3085005/us-coronavirus-lawsuits-pick-scabs-chinas-century-humiliation?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 May 2020 19:00:18 +0000 As India gains full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at its Tashkent summit this week, the move will provide a fillip to the long-standing strategic Russia-China-India triangle. It will also reinforce the organisation’s portrayal as Eurasia’s most potent strategic, economic political and military grouping, fast emerging as a counter to Nato’s eastward expansion. As the trio expands its influence across Eurasia, it is expected to further accelerate the exit of the US, EU... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/1978452/how-china-russia-and-india-will-seek-shape-eurasia-their-own?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/1978452/how-china-russia-and-india-will-seek-shape-eurasia-their-own?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jun 2016 06:58:41 +0000 After the Asean-China and Asean-India summits in Beijing and New Delhi in 2006 and 2012 respectively, the US next week hosts the third “out-of-region” Asean summit at the historic Annenberg Estate in Sunnylands, California. But, if US Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent preparatory trips to Laos (the current Asean chair), Cambodia and China are anything to go by, America’s attempts to showcase “Asean unity” by exploring a consensus on the South China Sea have only revealed the growing... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1912335/obama-must-find-ways-enhance-asean-unity-amid-growing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1912335/obama-must-find-ways-enhance-asean-unity-amid-growing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Feb 2016 06:03:39 +0000 This year is set to be the year when the US forges new nuclear partnerships with China and India, and could explore joint projects in third countries, with Westinghouse Electric and the Hualong nuclear power company in negotiations for such ventures. But, given previous mutual security and non-proliferation concerns, this newfound enthusiasm may also be breeding new anxieties. To begin with, complicated and long-winded structural integrity tests have just been declared successful for two of the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1898090/great-power-relations-how-us-china-and-india-will-forge-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1898090/great-power-relations-how-us-china-and-india-will-forge-new?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Jan 2016 09:44:33 +0000 Africa today is one of the fastest growing regions in the world, blessed with abundant resources, virgin lands and fresh waters, and all major powers are busy cultivating the continent's new generation of ambitious and assertive democratic leaders. READ MORE: India reaches out to Africa in resources race with China India last week joined the special league with China and the United States in hosting a high-profile Third India-Africa Forum Summit attended by heads of state or government from 40... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1874194/do-high-level-international-summits-herald-africas-century?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1874194/do-high-level-international-summits-herald-africas-century?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Nov 2015 02:02:43 +0000 With India's submission to the UN this month of its intended contributions on carbon emission cuts, all the major economies have now formally submitted pledges, setting the stage for a positive outcome at the Paris climate change summit that begins next month. READ MORE: China shows the world it can lead the battle against climate change While US and EU leaders have been at the forefront in building a global consensus on climate change, it is China - the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1867509/change-air-progress-china-us-and-india-carbon-cuts-raises?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1867509/change-air-progress-china-us-and-india-carbon-cuts-raises?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Oct 2015 10:00:00 +0000