The ruling class has failed to elaborate a renewal strategy. The political system is archaic. Stiff. Tainted. Smothering initiative and competition. Political competition included. Stimulating corruption.

Of all the BRICS states but, maybe, South Africa, and that is not a fact either, Russia has the weakest positions. Therefore its prospects are the most dismal. In fact, the very BRICS does not exist. That is just a misconception.

So, lie down in a coffin and die. The demands to such Russia are defined in approximately the same tone.

It would be senseless and losing to argue these theses. There is only one thing – a solid portion of humor – to set off against them. That was the focus of our speech at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs debate on the report. It is up to you to judge how successful we were.

Let’s start with the main provisions of the speech. Then we will convey the reaction of Italian diplomats, who took part in the discussion, and members of the expert community.

The Russians and the Italians have a lot in common. Really, a lot. Just a few examples to support this point. We all love Italy. Madly. Wholeheartedly. The climate. The songs. The culture. The history. We all come from the grand and magnificent Roman Empire and we are its heirs in the civilizational sense.

We all value high the sense of humor. In literature and in everyday life. We cannot live without it. It is our magic wand. It helps us take the life easy. Ignore absurdity. Overcome misunderstanding.

Another thing that brings us together is the profound and healthy mistrust of the electronic media, all sorts of reports and sensational publications. We know how often they are sponsored. We have become convinced so many times that they contain a lot of lies, tendentiousness and high sounding nonsense.

Probably, the only exception is such channels as «Animal Planet”. Let us look at the BRICS, Russia, the EU and our relationship through its eyes.

Everyone has long become accustomed to identify Russia with its emblem. It depicts a two-headed eagle. One head looks one way. The other looks the other way. A little bit of imagination, and you see that one looks towards the East and the other towards the West.

For all these years Russia has been struggling to cope with the East and the West. The struggle between Westernists and Slavophils, liberals and statists runs through our entire history. That was so in the past; that is so now.

Yet the European Union is a much stranger political creature. It has even 31 heads. The accession of Croatia will make it 32. It is 33 including the eurozone. Twenty-seven (28) of them are presidents and/or prime ministers of member states. The other five are presidents of the European Council, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the eurozone plus the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

No matter what, the EU manages to make efficient decisions and to ensure their implementation. That does not happen sometimes, judging by the permanent crisis of sovereign debts from which member states are still unable to recover. The December agreement reached at the European Council meeting in Brussels at the UK expense gave a measure of hope. But it was not complete.

Against this backdrop the BRICS looks like a cute baby dragon. Just born. With five heads. Our folklore is rich in dragons. According to tales and legends, the good natured monster is special because each of its heads lives its own life. Each has its own outlook. Its own preferences. It is very hard for them to reach consent. But that happens sometimes. And when it does, then…