Vladimir Putin has become increasingly publicly critical of the USA’S foreign policies and those of other Western countries. The global rise in oil prices has been identified as a possible reason for Putin’s increased hostility towards the West. At the annual Munich Conference on Security Policy in February 2007, Putin openly criticized the USA’S monopolistic dominance in international relations, accusing the USA of displaying an “almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations”. As a result of this, Putin said that “no one feels safe! Because no one can feel that international law is like a stone wall that will protect them. Of course such a policy stimulates an arms race”. In place of the current situation, Putin called for a “fair and democratic world order that would ensure security and prosperity not only for a select few, but for all”. To achieve such a utopia, Putin proposed a number of initiatives such as the prevention of deploying weapons in outer space, and the establishment of international centres for the enrichment of uranium. Putin said in a January 2007 interview that Russia favours a democratic multipolar world. Now that sounds like the kind of place a gu10 led 50w would like to live in!