Russia, the New Ideological Super Power, Once Again
Reimagining Global Ideologies: Russia's Quest for a Multipolar World Order "Secret Ruse"
Россия, новая идеологическая сверхдержава, снова
Foreword: The article is not a means to defend the new Russian corporatism or the Russian state, but an attempt to bring insights into the American Christian and populist conservative fascination with Russia. Russians' critique of American liberals used extensive Marxist, Socialist, and Conservative toolboxes to create a new form of unique third-way traditional corporatism with Russian inputs.
Historically, Russia has been a nation rich in the arts and sciences, particularly sociology. Since the fall of Rome, it has served as a stronghold for the Orthodox Church. More notably, Russia was recognized as the ideological heartland of scientific socialism during the inter-war period, and it was touted as the only country where proletarians were free during the Cold War. Between the 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement, the 2014 Maidan (also known as the Color Revolution), and the 2004 Orange Revolution, Russia re-emerged as an ideological superpower within Western Civilization. For Americans, confronting this reality is essential, whether viewing Russia as a geopolitical adversary or as a sanctuary for true Christian Conservative ideology.
“As the archetypal “color revolution,” Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution lives on in the nightmares of the Russian elite and deserves far more recognition as one of the great geopolitical turning points of the early twenty-first century.” -Dickinson, Peter. "How Ukraine’s Orange Revolution shaped twenty-first century geopolitics." Atlantic Council. Atlantic Council, 22 Nov. 2020
Despite having a relatively small economy by United States standards, and lacking major trade routes or essential raw industrial materials—a situation that has been true since the Victorian Age—Russia has wielded considerable influence in the Western geopolitical sphere. This influence stems not from economic might but from its role as a progenitor of autocratic regimes, especially noted when Russian conscripts quashed the 1848 socialist revolution. Ideology has been Russia's key geopolitical strength, continuing to hold weight to this day.
Russia is perhaps most famous for its three ideological masterminds: Stalin, whose Five-Year Plans inspired Germany's Four-Year Plan; Trotsky, whose ideas of World Revolution and the Red Army model inspired guerrilla fighters in the jungles of Congo and the Amazon; and Lenin, whose ideologies underpinning scientific socialism fostered insurgencies within developed NATO nations. However, this history, while impactful, is beyond the living memory of many readers and is not the primary focus of our current discussion.
Russia's ideological influence may not fit the conventional definition of "soft power." In the post-1991 era, countries with similar ideologies have gone to war, with even democracies such as Armenia and Azerbaijan engaging in conflict. "Soft power" is typically reserved as the influencing force in rational choices between two equally matched contenders. Russia's ideology has addressed many questions that are rarely directly confronted, providing an ideological alternative for Christian Conservatives that was previously absent.
Throughout history, Russia has demonstrated its ability to exert influence far beyond its economic stature through the exportation of its ideology. The two core ideologies Russia offers today are a multi-polar world economy and common-sense conservatism (within a Western or Indo-European context), as opposed to a neoliberal economy and culture wars.
According to Russian philosophers, liberal democracy and modernity are perceived as impositions enforced by Anglo-American powers through brute force, with becoming a modern democracy seen as a prerequisite for accessing Western technology transfer and entering the global market. They argue that English philosophers became influential within global institutions solely due to Anglo-American military and economic dominance, suggesting that their victory over German Conservatism and French Socialism was not a matter of philosophical superiority but rather of superior force.
Eurasianism, a perspective rooted in traditional values, emphasizes the importance of traditional production-distribution relationships and the power of traditionalism. This ideology critiques what it sees as ideological imperialism by the West, characterized by the political correctness of liberal democracy where wealth equates to power and economic inequality is widespread. It contends that the dominance of universal values and hegemony was established through force and the superior application of violence, arguing that all superstructures, including the liberal media, would collapse without military supremacy.
The notion that it is crucial for the "survivors' club" after the Cold War (now referred to as BRICS, consisting of India/Bhārata, Russia, Iran, China, and South Africa) to challenge the central points of control when the opportunity arises is echoed in the strategic theories of John Mearsheimer, who notes the difficulty a single great power faces in maintaining dominance across multiple geographical regions. In this context, the contributions of philosophers such as Leibniz, Kant, Heidegger, or Jung are sidelined by a more pragmatic question: Can their ideas facilitate the achievement of hegemony?
From ecology to healthcare, education, and immigration, rejecting modernity represents a comprehensive critique of Western sociology. For Russian ideologues, if the West has been perceived as an adversary for the past 150 years, then everything emanating from it, including the entire history of global development, is dismissed as a deception. For instance, the concept of recyclable plastics is viewed skeptically, seen as a ploy by the consumerist plastics industry. They argue that the industry promotes single-use materials, encouraging consumers not to think too deeply about their consumption habits by offering recycling as a solution. However, the materials are so inexpensive that recycling is deemed unprofitable, or so the Russian perspective suggests.
According to Russian ideologues, it's becoming increasingly clear that the current cultural and societal zeitgeist is shaped and dominated by the "shining city on the hill" and the affluent societies of the West, rather than being the outcome of a balanced struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. This situation signifies a total defeat for the average person, with the new online cultural agenda being dictated by plutocrats and a new aristocracy 80% of the time. They argue that it would be prudent for those who feel overlooked to revert to a bygone era of Christian equilibrium and traditional order. This call to action aims to prevent the complete erosion of traditional community values and family structures, advocating for a return to a struggle that ensures a balance between progressive forces and enduring values.
Progressive Restoration
This movement represents not conservatism or reactionism, but a return to a beneficial and harmonious order. In the burgeoning ideology within Russia, Christian conservatism is merely one among many voices. The aim is not to establish a Petrograd-like consensus advocating for a singular church, patriarch, and autocrat. Instead, there's an openness to embracing all traditional forms of production and social relationships that existed before the dominance of colonialism and global capitalism took hold. Islam, Buddhism, and Taoism are all embraced, with Islam and Judaism recognized as a foundational element of Russian heritage, especially in regions like the Steppes and the Caucasus Mountains. This approach diverges markedly from the Western liberal democratic model, which often refrains from allowing tribal or religious influences to shape individual lives.
For ancient civilizations, the perspective is even more profound. They are considered to have been more advanced than the West prior to their forceful integration into the modern global system. Their cultures and civilizations, matured over millennia before the advent of aggressive invasions, were seen as superior. The goal of progressive restoration is to expel the “undercivilized” western forces, making way for the revival of these sophisticated and mature systems, thereby fostering a richer, more diverse multipolar world.
Liberal Democracy as a Lie
Liberal democracy is neither liberal nor a democracy for the more complex and developed civilizations. As class consciousness develops, the dichotomy between the highly organized bourgeoisie and private parties versus the disorganized free pasture of the proletarians becomes ever more obvious. Like all sophisticated civilizations in the past, more means of control develop, and the previous façade of freedom and liberty slowly fades away. It was not that the bourgeoisie loved the free-roaming bison spirits of the proletarians, but the lack of proper means of control forced liberty. The liberal power centers showed a greater tendency towards authoritarian controls over the past three decades, and more barriers were implemented on the citizens to form free associations and trade unions. The secular religion becomes increasingly dogmatic and reactionary, just like how the small Roman papacy slowly became corrupt and indulged in its authority. The secular religion establishment corrupts like all past centers of power; absolute power corrupts absolutely. The French Pantheon’s dream of a loving liberal secular religion in the end failed to self-purify and fell into the same historical cycle of contradictions. There are four steps to create a democracy: first, there is the law; second, there is the ideology; third, the ideology tells the people they should support the law for good reasons; fourth, the triumph of the people and their democracy, the law comes into effect.
The original and indigenous legal movements seldomly turns into law, but more ideas are planted into people's heads to support laws that contradict their core interests. The Russians see how the American working class and trade unions supported a so-called left-wing agenda that is homophobic and xenophile: an open border policy brings total destruction of good-paying jobs; they learned to love the abstract migrants from abroad and hate their Christian conservative neighbors, a total perversion of traditional teachings and values. Polybius suggests that societies rotate through phases of tyranny, aristocracy, democracy, and anarchy, and the western liberal democracy only sees the ending of its first cycle (dubbed end of its beginning), comparing to the developed Islamic, Iranian, Indian, Mayan, and Chinese civilizations who saw many cycles, it is only logical to restore the more matured civilization and phase out the Anglo-American liberal democracy.
Christendom
Russia does not embody the traditional concept of Christendom, nor is it on a path to becoming such. Instead, Russia positions itself as a staunch defender of traditional values, sovereignty, and indigenous civilizations. Its appeal is not directed towards Christian conservatives eager to embark on crusades or engage in foreign resources wars, but rather towards ordinary people who feel overwhelmed by the onslaught of experimental secular ideologies. Russia perceives itself as engaged in a dual-front war: first, advocating for the independence of non-aligned nations and second, supporting common sense individuals within NATO territories, who find themselves marginalized by prevailing political dogmas and enforced correctness.
The notion of Christian-Zionists uniting with Russian Eastern Orthodox fundamentalists against Islamic and Taoist states is dismissed as unilateral thinking, given the Russian populace's broader interest in a multipolar world. The once-hoped-for G2 partnership—where Russia and the United States would jointly dominate global affairs—was shattered by events like the invasion of Yugoslavia and the Orange Revolution, diminishing any expectation for a Pan-Christian theist movement to divert the multipolar world from its course.
However, this does not preclude the possibility of a pan-traditionalist alliance with American libertarians and conservatives. The Russian media landscape, one of the few remaining platforms propagating traditionalist viewpoints, actively challenges the norms of experimental secular ideologies. It frequently hosts Western guests on panels that critique the widespread acceptance of gender-euphoria medical experimental dogmas. For Christian conservatives, the dimming Russian sunlight is the best disinfectant against mainstream media gaslighting.
Modernity and Archeomodernism in Russia
The concept of "Archeomodernism," as explored in the discussion, encapsulates Russia's unique societal condition, where traditional values and modern appearances coexist in a complex interplay across politics, culture, and daily life. Despite outwardly adopting Western modernity, the Russian populace is deeply rooted in tradition, living within a society that, at its heart, favors conventional norms. This juxtaposition has given rise to a system where modern facades and archaic undercurrents intertwine, most notably in the domain of governance. Russia's inclination towards authoritarianism, despite Western efforts to promote democratic principles such as the separation of powers, reflects not just a quest for control but a societal preference for a patriarchal leader. This situation highlights a form of societal dissonance, marked by conflicting interpretations and a reluctance to merge modernity with traditionalism. A Russian philosopher posits that resolving this "archeomodern" dilemma could involve a conservative revolution, realigning Russia's liberal-democratic exterior with its traditionalist essence.
Dugin’s Perspective on Global Order
In an interview with Sergey Mardan, Alexander Dugin presents Russia as a challenger to the global status quo and the Western development model. He views recent geopolitical moves by Russia, like the recognition of the DPR and LPR and related military actions, as defiance against centuries of Western hegemony. Dugin critiques the West's secular, liberal trajectory, symbolized by the "end of history" thesis, which heralded the universal adoption of liberal democracy. Contrarily, Russia advocates for a multipolar world that honors the diversity of civilizations and their values.
Dugin's narrative casts Russia in a mythic light, opposing a monolithic global system with spiritual and existential defiance, likening Russia to the "Katechon" — a restraining force against darkness in Christian eschatology. This portrayal imbues Russia's geopolitical stance with a messianic quality, suggesting it upholds transcendent values against the West's materialism.
He also touches on Russia's internal need for a shift away from Western-aligned liberalism towards a reinvigoration of authentic Russian values and identity. This transformation calls for a dedication to Russia's historical and spiritual mission, advocating for a societal realignment with its foundational principles and ambitions.
The American Question:
As Russia embraces a vision of progressive restoration, it fosters a dialogue that transcends Christian conservatism, inviting a multiplicity of traditional voices into a conversation about the future direction of global society. This approach, skeptical of the unidirectional trajectory of Western liberalism, seeks to reinvigorate a multipolar world where diverse civilizations coexist, each contributing their unique perspectives and values. Is this in America's best interest? According to the People's View, the General Will, and the State Spirits, is this in America's best interest?
Russia’s challenge to our Enlightenment traditions and liberal heritage prompts a question: should we accept the criticism and review the developments in recent years? Are these theories merely empty conspiracies without basis, or do they represent the real views of how people around the world view the post-Occupy Wall Street liberal culture? Would you like to learn more about national Bolshevism, populist socialism different from vanguardism, and their comparative politics to MAGA communism? Please comment below.
Sources:
Trust me bro, talk to Russians, join their Telegram channels and read their blogs.