Garry Kasparov's Blog, page 4

How China’s AI is Powering Global Authoritarianism | Oslo Freedom Forum | June 13, 2023

Looking forward to a breakout session on ‘How #China‘s AI Is Powering Global Authoritarianism’. @nathanlawkc @Kasparov63 @SteveJFeldstein pic.twitter.com/UEepargsAU

— Megan Khoo (@Megan_Khoo) June 13, 2023

“Ukraine Must Not Compromise | Swiss Economic Forum | June 8, 2023

“Success is the greatest enemy of future success.”

Thanks to Garry Kasparov @Kasparov63 for our discussion at #SEF23 pic.twitter.com/qQzbAe51gY

— Thomas Zurbuchen (@Dr_ThomasZ) June 8, 2023

This article is a reprint. You can read more and watch my talk at the Swiss Economic Forum.

“Garry Kasparov came to international fame in 1985 when he became the youngest world chess champion in history at the age of 22. His famous matches against the IBM super-computer Deep Blue in 1996-97 were key to bringing artificial intelligence, and chess, into the mainstream. The passion for new tech led to his interest in cryptocurrencies and his launch of a groundbreaking autobiographical NFT series in 2021. The former world chess champion is involved in various foundations and frequently speaks to business audiences around the world on strategy, decision-making, politics and artificial intelligence. He has been a regular contributor to many major publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and CNN, and he is the author of several highly acclaimed and prescient books such as “Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped.”

«UKRAINE MUST NOT COMPROMISE»

«The only way for Ukraine to end this war is to win it, » said Garry Kasparov on the SEF stage. Because pure evil is at work on the Russian side, said the former world chess champion and exiled Russian with a Croatian passport. Every day, Russian propaganda repeats the lie that Ukraine never existed and must be brought back to Russia, Kasparov said. Therefore, no compromises should be made. However, the chairman of the Human Rights Foundation still hopes and believes that regime change and free elections are in Russia.

Regarding artificial intelligence, Kasparov, who in 1997 became the first reigning world chess champion to be defeated by the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue, says that it can and will support us in very many areas. «But at the end of the day, every problem is still solved by humans. Machines can just do it faster and with fewer errors if you show them how. »

The State of Free Expression in the U.S. and Abroad | America’s Town Hall | June 5, 2023

Hear free-speech advocates @Kasparov63, @PastorEvanLive, & @SuzanneNossel of discuss the state of free expression. Presented in partnership with @Renew_Democracy & @ASUConDesign.

Register for #AmericasTownHall, June 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET: https://t.co/h7JSYlFKOz pic.twitter.com/AAx49T5vhf

— National Constitution Center (@ConstitutionCtr) May 23, 2023

You can read more about this event at the National Constitution Center.

“Free-speech advocates Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion, political activist, and chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative; Evan Mawarire, Zimbabwean pastor, democratic activist, and director of education at the Renew Democracy Initiative; and Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, discuss the state of free expression in the United States, Russia, Zimbabwe and around the world. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

This program is presented in partnership with the Renew Democracy Initiative and the Center for Constitutional Design at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. 

Participants

Garry Kasparov is chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative. Now a Russian dissident in exile, he is a former world chess champion and Russian opposition politician. He is the author of several books, including Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped. He also serves as the chairman of the Human Rights Foundation.

Evan Mawarire is director of education at Renew Democracy Initiative, where he also hosts RDI’s Front Lines of Freedom podcast. He is the founder of the #ThisFlag Citizen Movement in Zimbabwe, which sought to confront corruption, injustice, and poverty, and was instrumental in unseating Robert Mugabe. He is also a Reagan-Fascell Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy, former fellow at Stanford University’s Centre for Democracy Development and the Rule of Law, and a 2020 Yale University World Fellow.
  
Suzanne Nossel is chief executive officer at PEN America. She is the author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All and previously served as the chief operating officer of Human Rights Watch and as executive director of Amnesty International USA.

Jeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public about the U.S. Constitution. Rosen is also professor of law at The George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.”

What’s the Next Move | BCG Poland | May 30, 2023

Interesting remarks from @Kasparov63 and Oktawian Zając @BCG Poland on actual level of China’s global influence, Putin’s / Russia’s strategy for the upcoming years and key socio-political trends ahead of us. pic.twitter.com/aMWCIyPNdF

— Paweł Łangowski (@pawellangowski) May 30, 2023

Central Europe in the Kremlin’s Ideology | The Free Russia Forum | May 29, 2023

Talks with Putin’s regime can be held only on terms of surrender

Garry Kasparov in an exclusive interview with Ukrinform.https://t.co/BfHhpim6gE@Kasparov63@ybanakhevych#UkraineRussiaWar #Ukraine

— Ukrinform-EN (@Ukrinform_News) May 30, 2023

The #Russia #opposition force conference in Warsaw:@Kasparov63 : The world was saved by Ukrainian heroism & Zelensky’s leadership. If they hadn’t defended Kiev, the West wld have now been trying to agree w/the puppet govt of Medvedchuk or Yanukovych.
+@iponomarev +@MaximReznik https://t.co/W5QglZ3gvf pic.twitter.com/LCRhBLZo8a

— junia (@serenahrm) May 31, 2023

The following article is a reprint. You can read the original at Ukrinform.

A roundtable discussion of the Free Russia Forum was held in Warsaw, where international experts discussed the impact of the war that Russia has unleashed against Ukraine on Central Europe.

On the sidelines of the forum, a well-known Russian opposition politician who has always supported Ukraine in its confrontation with Putin’s regime, the 13th world chess champion Garry Kasparov shared his thoughts on the Kremlin’s new “peacekeeping” proposals, the internal situation in Russia in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine, and what game China is playing now, using Russia’s war against Ukraine.

NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PUTIN REGIME CAN ONLY BE ABOUT SURRENDER

– Mr. Kasparov, the Russian Foreign Ministry has made public its new demands for an end to the war in Ukraine. Russia is not abandoning its previous demands, but adding new ones, such as Ukraine’s rejection of EU membership and granting Russian the status of an official language. How should Ukraine and the West react to this?

I don’t understand why the West still maintains high-level diplomatic relations with Russia

– Ignore it. There is no point in discussing any statements by the Russian Foreign Ministry. This war is not just about the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but a global war between freedom and tyranny, and there are no compromises in such a war. Negotiations with the Putin regime can only be conducted on the terms of surrender, as it was in Nazi Germany and in any war where principles, not just territories, were at stake. Therefore, no matter what the Russian ambassadors say…

Putin still sees Ukraine as an intermediate stage in his war with the West

By the way, I still don’t understand why the West maintains high-level diplomatic relations with Russia. I believe that recalling ambassadors and maintaining a minimal presence would be the right response to the ongoing crimes. But we have to understand that Putin is not going to change his attitude towards Ukraine and the world order. 460 days of war have not changed anything. Putin still sees Ukraine as an intermediate stage in his war with the West. He is going to negotiate with the Americans, possibly the Europeans, and Ukraine, according to Putin, is an unfortunate historical misunderstanding.

– What should we do in this case?

Ukraine’s victory is Russia’s freedom, and nothing can happen without Ukraine’s victory

– We need to focus on matters of principle. Ukraine’s victory means Russia’s freedom, and nothing can happen without Ukraine’s victory. We must stop discussing any intermediate options. Nothing positive can happen in the world – from North Korea to Venezuela, from Belarus to Zimbabwe – until the issue in Ukraine is resolved.

Victory in Ukraine includes three main components: the liberation of the entire territory up to and including Sevastopol, Russia’s payment of reparations, and the prosecution of war criminals. Any components that go ahead of this option make no sense, as this is the only way to expect changes in Russia.

Unfortunately, we need to understand that Russian society is not ready for any changes until it becomes obvious that the war is lost. Historical experience teaches us that changes in Russia begin with a geopolitical defeat, and the return of Crimea to Ukraine should be this starting point, after which the process of Russia’s return to the family of civilized nations may begin.

That is why we must now do everything that can help Ukraine win, including arms supplies, financial assistance, and continued isolation of Russia. Unfortunately, we have not yet come close to the necessary level of diplomatic isolation, which is indeed necessary. But it is very important to adhere to the sanctions regime.

PUTIN AVOIDS MASS CONSCRIPTION IN MOSCOW AND ST. PETERSBURG

– In your opinion, is the current level of sanctions sufficient?

– The question is not what the new sanctions will be, but how the existing ones will be implemented. Unfortunately, there are big claims even against countries that actively support Ukraine. We see that many sanctions provisions are not being implemented. Even those Western countries that are on the side of Ukraine often still do not stop this gray flow of imports that goes to Russia and allows it to continue to wage war.

– According to the Ukrainian General Staff, more than 200,000 Russians have already been killed in Ukraine…

– No matter how many have died, we understand that this is a six-digit figure, a huge loss. They do not yet affect the situation in Russia. First of all, the country is big. And secondly, if you look at the demographic gap, Putin is avoiding mass conscription in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Huge losses in Buryatia, Tuva, or depressed Russian regions, such as Kurgan, do not affect the political situation in Russia. But Moscow and St. Petersburg do not feel it yet.

CHINA IS INTERESTED IN CONTINUING THE CONFLICT, WHICH WEAKENS RUSSIA AND THE WEST

– However, there are countries that are more or less sympathetic to Russia, and their representatives are making some peacekeeping trips. We see China’s special representative traveling around Europe, Hungary is taking some steps, and Brazil has also begun to be active in this area. It is clear that these countries are trying to call for some kind of truce, which in the current situation can only benefit Russia. Is it possible to unite them?

– Can they be united? I think not, because the motivational part of these countries is different. With Orban, everything is simple: it’s corruption, there’s nothing to invent. He is thoroughly corrupt, and this, in my opinion, is the main driving force behind Hungarian politics.

As for Brazil, it’s hard for me to say, because this country is far away from us. But in general, we need to understand that the so-called Global South is now dominated by leftist tendencies with empathy for the USSR, or anti-Americanism. I am inclined to believe that anti-Americanism prevails, because they understand perfectly well what is at stake in Ukraine and that Russia’s defeat in this war and Ukraine’s victory is a success for the collective West. Accordingly, this will affect the development of all leftist theories that have influence in the Global South.

The collapse of Russia in a protracted war opens the way for China to much more interesting prospects than the war over Taiwan

As for China, it is a different story altogether. In my opinion, China is playing its own game, which brings with it a historical perspective. Of course, at the initial stage of the war, China would have been interested in Putin’s victory, as it would have opened the way to Taiwan, and it would have been a defeat for the West and a success for the forces of totalitarianism and tyranny. However, China is pragmatic, and I think Xi Jinping has already realized that Russia will not win the war, and any other outcome opens up other opportunities for Xi Jinping. So today, China is interested in continuing the conflict because it weakens both Russia and the West, because China is the only country that has territorial claims to Russia based on treaties of the 17th and 19th centuries. Chinese historiography has always maintained that the Russian Empire took away 1.5 million square kilometers of territory from them, which is the size of two and a half Ukraine – the area from Vladivostok to Lake Baikal. In contrast to Putin’s fantasies about Ukraine, these are real maps, treaties signed between China and the Russian Empire in 1689 [the Treaty of Nerchinsk] and later in 1860 [the Treaty of Beijing]. From Xi Jinping’s point of view, perhaps the collapse of Russia in a protracted war opens the way to much more interesting prospects than the war over Taiwan. So I wouldn’t look for any common denominator – each of these countries has its own interests.

– How do you assess the actions of the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion in the Belgorod region?

– This is a good action. Anything that helps Ukraine win the war is acceptable.

Yurii Banakhevych”

The Last War of the Russian Empire | Jan Darasz | TVP World | May 29, 2023

My interview, in English, on “the last war of the Russian Empire”. https://t.co/IgpNKDqTnW

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) May 30, 2023

We had the unique opportunity to talk to a person who knows a lot about strategy: @Kasparov63, Chess Grandmaster and Chairman of the @Renew_Democracy.

𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 https://t.co/Bjb2BsPSpz pic.twitter.com/GaVuWJPUB7

— TVP World (@TVPWorld_com) May 29, 2023

You can watch the full interview on YouTube.

Superbet Rapid and Blitz Poland | Grand Chess Tour | May 19-26, 2023

Former World Champion Garry Kasparov made the first symbolic move in the game of the former World Champion Magnus Carlsen and Maxime Vachie-Lagrave.#SuperbetRapidBlitzPoland #GrandChessTour @Kasparov63 @MagnusCarlsen @Vachier_Lagrave pic.twitter.com/WsX7qR3zJi

— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) May 22, 2023

Garry Kasparov is in the studio in Warsaw! Don’t miss his interview!https://t.co/Wgbp8T8DMt#GrandChessTour #SuperbetRapidBlitzPoland @Kasparov63 @SuperbetPL pic.twitter.com/kvTSffFW9P

— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) May 22, 2023

Congratulations to Magnus! His embrace of a Viking appearance seems to have paid off in Warsaw. Impressive 2nd place showing by local star Duda as well. He fought! #SuperbetRapidBlitzPoland!#GrandChessTour https://t.co/NR1ci6vyDv

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) May 25, 2023

Garry Kasparov gave some autographs for local kids. #SuperbetRapidBlitzPoland #grandchesstour pic.twitter.com/BPP8fO0tOm

— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) May 23, 2023

You can read more about the Superbet Rapid and Blitz Poland at the Grand Chess Tour.

 

Maxim Katz Signing the Berlin Declaration | Russian Action Committee | May 23, 2023

Встретились и очень хорошо пообщались с Гарри Каспаровым. Мне нравятся многие его соображения и планы, кое о чем и поспорили.

После разговора с ним я решил подписать берлинскую декларацию демократических сил. Подпишите и вы https://t.co/sODIVPKJWQ pic.twitter.com/rwrMQygLD0

— Максим Кац (@max_katz) May 23, 2023

You can sign the Declaration of the Russian Democratic Forces.

Kasparov Predicts Collapse of Russian ‘Empire’ | Brendan Cole | Newsweek | May 19, 2023

We must be honest about the violent, imperialist nature of Russia past and present. Putin is the villain of this chapter, not the whole story. Russians must face the future humbled, either as part of the civilized world or as a hollowed-out Chinese supply depot. https://t.co/zg9nVnHzV6

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) May 19, 2023

This article is a reprint. You can read the original at Newsweek.

“Garry Kasparov has said that Ukraine winning the war Moscow started will lead to the collapse of Vladimir Putin‘s regime and usher in a new start for Russia.

“I’m pretty sure that within the next five years, Russia will end up smaller,” the former world chess champion, who is now involved in politics, told Newsweek. Describing the war in Ukraine as a “genocide,” the consequences of which “will be with us for decades,” he said that Russian territories such as the republics of Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and Chechnya “very likely will walk away.”

“This is the process that stopped in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union, but I think the collapse of the Russian empire is imminent,” he said. Putin has been open about his imperial ambitions, shown by his seizure of Crimea in 2014, the subsequent war in Ukraine’s Donbas region, and the full-scale invasion he launched in February 2022.

“Clearly the Russian empire must cease to exist. The question is whether the free world will work out a policy that will help other forces in Russia to preserve the chunk of territories that are Russian by majority and reform the state to become a future ally of the Euro Atlantic civilization—or will it be totally out of control?”

Russian opposition figure Garry Kasparov at the Newmark Civic Life Series at the 92nd Street Y, New York on May 14, 2023. He told Newsweek Ukraine must be given all the weapons it needs to defeat Russia in the war Vladimir Putin started.JASON MENDEZ/GETTY IMAGES

This is why he believes Ukraine should be given all the weapons it needs to win because that would end Putin’s regime “at a time where we still have some staples of the Russian governing mechanism that could be brought into a new system of governance.” He envisages Russia as a parliamentary republic or loose federation, “but we have to start from scratch.”

The former world chess champion turned to politics after his retirement from the game and created the United Civil Front, a social movement working to preserve democracy.

For years, he has warned about the threat Putin posed the world order, and in 2015 compared him to Adolf Hitler in his book Winter is Coming. The following year he co-founded the Free Russia Forum, which was declared an “undesirable organization” in February by the Russian General Prosecutor’s Office.

Three months after the start of the war, Kasparov co-founded the Russian Action Committee with exiled Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former head of the Yukos oil company, who was jailed for a decade until 2013 on charges decried as politically motivated.

The groups seek to build cooperation between the Russian anti-Putin diaspora and Western organizations and governments. While prominent Russian opposition figures are united against Putin, there appears to be little unity among many of them. The First Congress of People’s Deputies of Russia, is another group of opposition figures that does not have the backing of some Putin critics.

Meanwhile, Kasparov is dismissive of the non-systemic Russian opposition parties within his country, which he says act under the auspices of the Kremlin. For him, Russia’s opposition must be based on three principles: “The war is criminal, the regime is illegitimate. Crimea is Ukraine. As long as you are willing to say these three things, you have joined the alliance.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Victory Day Red Square Parade on May 9, 2023 in Moscow. Russian opposition figure Garry Kasparov told Newsweek about his vision of a post-Putin Russia.GETTY IMAGESRussian State in Exile

Around 900,000 Russians are estimated to have left the country since the start of the war in February 2022, an exodus that gained impetus when Putin announced a partial mobilization in September.

Kasparov notes how many were upper middle class. Bringing them together in what he dubs a “virtual South Korea”—in contrast with the North Korea he says Putin has turned Russia into—might “create a staple for future Russian elite.”

He said to meet the challenge of replacing the thousands of officials in Russia currently calling the shots, “you may have already a pool of talent that might be helpful in this gargantuan task,” he said, although it would need the help of the West.

“The sooner we create this virtual Russian state in exile, the better the chances that we will have the solid staples for a new Russia after the collapse of the Putin regime.”

In building this new Russia, he said the West should not make the mistakes of the aftermath of the Iraq war, “in which the removal of the entire system, the law enforcement and all the Saddam’s element from the ruling structure, ended up with total chaos.”

There must be “some form of compromise which is yet to be found. I don’t have an answer to that right now, but I believe that’s the only way to move forward.”

War Criminals

Kasparov says after the war, there needs to be justice for those closely involved in the invasion of Ukraine, but they need to be distinguished from other Russian officials. “While you have a bunch of crooks and thugs ruling Russia, 90 percent of them are not war criminals and that’s exactly where you can have a split,” Kasparov said.

“If you want to make sure Russia doesn’t collapse, you have to demonstrate that the 10 percent that are connected to the war will be taken away,” he said, “then you create a gap which can be filled by people like me, Khodorkovsky and [Alexei] Navalny,” the latter who languishes in prison on charges condemned globally as politically motivated.

The clampdown on human rights in Russia has deepened since the start of the war. Independent media outlets have been shut down, thousands have been jailed, leaving opponents of Putin who cannot leave the country with few options.

Kasparov calls these people “heroes” and insisted “the moment will come when the system will collapse and then we need these people. We need this anger.””

Superbet Chess Classic Romania | Grand Chess Tour | May 5-15, 2023

Congratulations to Fabiano! I notice he stopped winning games as soon as I left Bucharest, but draws were enough to stay ahead of the pack! Congrats also to the excellent organization: #SuperbetChessClassic #GrandChessTour https://t.co/PIb6PrIoKb

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) May 15, 2023

Great to be here, impressive event again! #SuperbetClassic (If you were wondering, my suitcase did make it Germany. But FedEx sent it to Frankfurt, not Munich, and then couldn’t send it here to Bucharest. So it went back to NYC after a German vacation!) https://t.co/ZQHBKlwwY6

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) May 5, 2023

You can read more about the Superbet Chess Classic 2023 at the Grand Chess Tour.