Putin's Russia: In the haze of demagogues

So far, he has hardly been impressed by the sanctions - Russia's President Vladimir Putin DW Putin's Russia: In the haze of demagogues Hans Pfeifer - Yesterday at 18:06 What ideology does Russian President Vladimir Putin follow? Experts see numerous overlaps with the anti-liberal New Right in his speeches. When Vladimir Putin concludes his speech at 3:47 p.m., the hundreds of MPs stand up. All of Germany, it seems, is applauding the young Russian hope. It is September 25, 2001. Putin is speaking in the German Bundestag about the unity of European culture, the Prince of Hesse-Darmstadt and the development of a democratic society. He speaks in German. And in the end he kindles the hearts of all parliamentarians - from the socialist left to the transatlanticists of the conservative Union - when he concludes enthusiastically: "We are making our common contribution to building the European house." Putin, the European. More than twenty years later, enthusiasm, Russia's democratic awakening and Russia's path to Europe lie in ruins. Russia is at war in Europe. What happened? ideology of securing power "I don't think that Putin follows a specific ideology, he uses different elements to legitimize his criminal actions." This is how the Slavic studies professor Sylvia Sasse from the University of Zurich analyzes it. Putin's main concern is maintaining his domestic power "and expanding into areas that he calls the 'Russian world,'" Sasse said in an interview with DW. Sasse observed that he was increasingly referring to conservative, anti-democratic ideas and also citing them in his speeches. For example, the monarchist philosopher Ivan Ilyin or the folkish nationalist Lev Gumilev. "Putin finds himself in a haze of ethno-nationalist, often anti-Semitic, autocratic demagogues, which also characterize the New Right worldwide," says Sasse. One of their colorful faces is Alexander Dugin. In his opinion, a supposed 'global elite' is responsible for wars in the world: "They destroy countries". He rejects the West's concept of democracy. And for the Russians, he defines a different image of man: "For us Russians, being human means belonging to the whole. For us, man is not an individual," he said in an interview with Canadian television. fight the west Dugin is one of the stars of the so-called New Right. There has been speculation about his relationship with Russian President Putin for years. In view of Putin's isolation, this cannot be verified. But he is a welcome guest in the media loyal to the Kremlin. And experts see numerous ideological overlaps. This is how Dugin on the internet platform VK describes the fight against Ukraine as a condition for the rebirth of the Russian empire. And the "West" in Dugin's ideology stands for death, suicide and degeneration. He also found supporters in Germany and other European countries with his right-wing extremist, anti-liberal ideology. He also has ties to the US alt-right movement and met Steve Bannon in Rome around 2018. Dugin is a big supporter of Donald Trump. After his election victory, he told the Turkish television station TRT in December 2016: "From now on, America is great again - but no longer imperialist." A question of identity The historian Igor Torbakov from the Swedish University of Uppsala has been observing and describing the intellectual decoupling from Europe in Putin's Russia for years. Torbakov also sees in Putin's actions a struggle with the question of Russian identity: How much is Russia shaped by Europe? How much of Asia? And how independent is this identity? In a 2016 Harvard lecture, Torbakov described Ukraine's aspirations to join the EU as a shock to the Russian concept of a distinct Slavic identity. In the end, this aspiration is a threat to Putin's Russia's claim to a place among the great powers. Shortly before the start of the war against Ukraine, Torbakov describes a development in his own country as a particular challenge for the Kremlin elite: the awakening of a new young generation. Because she also sees fundamental political ideals in human dignity, freedom, democracy and tolerance: "These 'European values' are universal. Younger generations have understood this. They take to the streets all over the huge country to challenge the ruling elites." , writes Igor Torbakov in the March issue of the German and International Politics Journal.