THE IMPERIAL REVENGE: PUTIN’S ATTEMPT

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THE IMPERIAL REVENGE: PUTIN’S ATTEMPT

Journal Title: Політологічний вісник - Year 2018, Vol 80, Issue

Abstract

The article is devoted to the strategy of the Russian Federation’s leadership to restore the status of the empire. The prerequisites for such a solution are the economic specialization of the Russian Federation in the system of world economy, the archaic social structure, monopolized power and resources in the hands of the ruling corporation, inertia of the post-Soviet mentality and psychology. The restored imperial model does not include the role of political (civilian) nation as a subject of power, but, on the contrary, it includes a military-administrative apparatus for internal and external expansion, and also it needs for loyality of the masses. Faced to the inevitable crisis of this archaic system of domination, Putin made an outright bet on aggression, dynamics, instincts, selfishness, and thus created an alternative to a trend of Westernization’s globalization. Russia’s new subjectivity is formed on the basis of aggressive foreign policy, based on internal consolidation and increased using media for propaganda. An attempt to restore the former status of a superpower stems from the imperial essence of Russian statehood. It is based on the logic of its historical development, objective characteristics of its socio-economic, political, cultural and ideological life. The new Russian leader has become only an instrument of self-reproduction of the imperial mechanism and restoring the traditional identity of Russia, to which the political class and the population of the country returned after unsuccessful attempt of modernization. Imperial identity requires a permanent mobilization, concentration of all forces on the solution of «historical» tasks. External aggression is an indicator of the ability of the imperial organism. Therefore, the majority of Russians actively supported the imperial revanchist course of their leaders. The Russian expansion in the first stages did not meet the considerable resistance of the world community, in particular, by the consolidated West. A number of prerequisites existed in world politics has led to this rezulte. The lack of leadership in the modern world has led to an increasing selfishness of major geopolitical players and to the neglecting of international law by them in their intensive competition for resources and priorities. These factors have led to increased conflict and loss of control of the global system as a whole. If the world returns to the scenario of guided globalization, if the role of international law, international organizations and security structures grows up, if the demonopolization of markets (first of all, energy market) and the liberalization of political regimes becomes true, then Putin’s rate will be a loser. If world chaos in international systems grows, aggression increases, and the trade and industrial cooperation are limited by governments, then a militarized, based on the raw rent Russian empire can get a new historical chance.

Authors and Affiliations

Maxim Rozumny

Keywords

Russia; empire; Putin’s regime; international security; geopolitics

EP ID EP453722
DOI 10.17721/2415-881x.2018.80.68-76
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