Re: 普京瓦尔代年会万字演讲全文

The Speech in English from
http://www.en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/75521
"There comes, in a way, the moment of truth. The former world
arrangement is irreversibly passing away, actually it has already passed
away, and a serious, irreconcilable struggle is unfolding for the
development of a new world order. It is irreconcilable, above all,
because this is not even a fight for power or geopolitical influence. It
is a clash of the very principles that will underlie the relations of
countries and peoples at the next historical stage. Its outcome will
determine whether we will be able, through joint efforts, to build a
world that will allow all nations to develop and resolve emerging
contradictions based on mutual respect for cultures and civilisations,
without coercion and use of force. And finally, whether the human
society will be able to retain its ethical humanistic principles, and
whether an individual will be able to remain human.
At first glance, it might appear that there is no alternative. Yet,
regrettably, there is. It is the dive of humanity into the depths of
aggressive anarchy, internal and external splits, the erosion of
traditional values, the emergence of new forms of tyranny, and the
actual renunciation of the classical principles of democracy, along with
fundamental rights and freedoms. Increasingly often, democracy is being
interpreted not as the rule of majority but of minority. Traditional
democracy and the rule of the people are being set against an abstract
notion of freedom, for the sake of which, as some argue, democratic
procedures, elections, majority opinion, freedom of speech, and an
unbiased media can be disregarded or sacrificed.
The peril lies in the imposition of totalitarian ideologies and making
them the norm, as exemplified by the current state of Western
liberalism. This modern Western liberalism, in my view, has degenerated
into extreme intolerance and aggression towards any alternative or
sovereign and independent thought. Today, it even seeks to justify
neo-Nazism, terrorism, racism, and even the mass genocide of civilians.
Moreover, there are international conflicts and confrontations fraught
with the danger of mutual destruction. Weapons that can cause this do
exist and are being constantly improved, taking new forms as the
technologies advance. The number of nations possessing such weapons is
growing, and no one can guarantee that these weapons will not be used,
especially if threats incrementally multiply and legal and moral norms
are ultimately shattered.
I have previously stated that we have reached red lines. The West’s
calls to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, a nation with the largest
arsenal of nuclear weapons, reveal the reckless adventurism of certain
Western politicians. "