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G7 leaders should present a unified front against Russia, 老司机直播 expert writes in the Globe and Mail

Vladirmir Putin looks back as Justin Trudeau, Angela Merkel and Xi Jinping look towards him
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right, bottom) looks back as other world leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, look on during a photo session at the G20 Summit in Osaka in June (photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/AFP via Getty Images)

World leaders gathering for this weekend鈥檚 G7 summit in the French resort town of Biarritz should make Russia a focus as it increasingly uses aggressive foreign forays to distract from problems at home, says Aurel Braun, a professor of international relations and political science at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

In an op-ed for the Globe and Mail, Braun, who is cross-appointed to the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, writes that Russia, which is not a member of the G7, is showing 鈥渃lassic symptoms of imperial decline鈥 amid a continued economic slide and a growing domestic protest movement.

At the same time, Braun notes, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to oversee disruptive actions ranging from information warfare campaigns to military excursions designed to destabilize its neighbours as well as the G7 countries.

鈥淭he G7 must disabuse Mr. Putin鈥檚 Kremlin of its hopes of dividing the democracies by increasing their countries鈥 hard power while making a more determined and unified use of their vast soft power,鈥 Braun writes. 鈥淲ith a policy of preventing but not provoking, they should make clear to Russia that they present no threat, but are resolute in resisting Russian military adventures or political interference.鈥

UTC