A real Russian heart: Aleksandr Dugin, Vladimir Putin and the dangerous new Russian ideology

Wars are fought with bullets and missiles, but they are also fought to advance philosophies, and ways of life. Russia understands this – the West must, too.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the ‘end of history’ in the 1990s, Western conversations about international relations have tended to shy away from ideology. Long gone are the days of the Cold War, where power struggles could be framed as a debate between democratic capitalism and communism. Instead, it seems as though strategists and intellectuals would rather focus on material concerns or amorphous ‘liberal values’ independent from fundamental questions of political philosophy.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the ‘end of history’ in the 1990s, Western conversations about international relations have tended to shy away from ideology. Long gone are the days of the Cold War, where power struggles could be framed as a debate between democratic capitalism and communism. Instead, it seems as though strategists and intellectuals would rather focus on material concerns or amorphous ‘liberal values’ independent from fundamental questions of political philosophy.

The problem is that rival regimes in China, Iran, and Russia still view competition with the United States as an existential conflict between different ways of life. These regimes’ strategic decisions are very much informed by philosophical questions, and Western strategists would do well to understand this philosophic dimension of great power competition.

The war in Ukraine is an aggressively ideologised conflict. By understanding this dimension of the war, Westerners can better perceive the ideological stakes of Vladimir Putin’s invasion and better grasp the potential outcomes. For many Russians, this war is existential. They believe victory in Ukraine is essential to the survival of Russia as a civilisation. They believe they are advancing a new, universal political theory, upon which depends the salvation of mankind. As Western policymakers consider what ought to be done about the situation in Ukraine, they should prioritise discrediting the new Russian ideology. Allowing it to succeed in Ukraine will destabilise an international system that has promoted justice and prosperity for decades.

Read more at Engelsberg Ideas.