Presentations by Streams

Russian politics is often analysed in terms of rational actor theory, structuralism, institutionalism or democratisation theory. When it comes to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which shocked so many, a large part of the explanation can be found in the domain of culture, identity and ideology. Yet, the hybridity of ideological options in Russia, and the refusal of the Kremlin to codify a state ideology into clear doctrinal form, leaves analysts with serious challenges in arriving at consensus on what ‘ism’, if any, is most appropriate to describe the Putin system. We examine the development of ideology along several dimensions. In the first paper, Mark Bassin tracks the evolution great geopolitical vision of the Kremlin, “Greater Eurasia”, which has emerged from academic and intellectual discussions that Vladimir Putin has cultivated at the Valdai Forum. In the second paper, David Lewis examines the influence of the Schmittian concept of Grossraum in Russia, which has driven successive spatial projects, culminating in the war on Ukraine. In the third paper, Matthew Blackburn and Natalia Yudina analyse the reconfiguration of “patriotic forces” (systemic opposition, alternative media, patriotic NGOs, thinktanks and paramilitaries) over 2014-2022. The paper examines the extent to which reconfigured ‘patriotic forces’ operate as a loyal opposition, the distinctiveness of their ideological agendas as well as how the war in Ukraine has affected them. The final paper from Luke March assessed the role of nationalism in Russian foreign policy, balancing the clear incorporation of nationalist rhetoric into Kremlin discourse against continued lack of harmony with radical nationalists inside the country.