Putin\'s Political Philosophy in Abstract

PUTIN’S POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY ISSS 4456 | University of Virginia

Putin’s Interview | 24 September 2015 Rose: What do you admire most about America? Putin: I like the creativity…. Creativity when it comes to your tackling problems. Their openness -openness and open-mindedness -- because it allows them to unleash the inner potential of their people. And thanks to that, America has attained such amazing results in developing their country.

Putin’s Philosophy “To get a grasp on one needs to check what Putin’s preferred readings are. Putin’s favorites include a bunch of Russian nationalist philosophers of early 20th century – Berdyaev, Solovyev, Ilyin — whom he often quotes in his public speeches. Moreover, recently the Kremlin has specifically assigned Russia’s regional governors to read the works by these philosophers during 2014 winter holidays.” -- Maria Snegovaya, Washington Post (02 Mar 2015)

Nikolai Berdyaev (1874-1948)  One

of 160 writers and intellectuals expelled by the communists on the “philosopher’s ship”  Nationalist who believed in “Third Rome”  Christian existentialist who praised creativity

Vladimir Solovyov (1853-1900)  Overarching

emphasis on spiritual unity; converting from Orthodoxy to nihilism to Catholicism  Believed firmly in the Slavic peoples and their ability to bridge the differences between East and West

Ivan Ilyin (1883-1954)  Advocate

of the “third

way”  Monarchist  Disliked republican tendencies towards rapid change  “Conscience of Law” rather than rule of law

Putin’s Philosophy 

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Rose: Is it a more natural affinity than Europe and the United States? Is China more in the future a place that Russia feels more comfortable with than Europe or the United States? And could that lead to some anti-western alliance? Putin: Anti-western? Rose: Anti-western, anti-American. Putin: There is no country, including China, against which we or China, as far as I understand China’s policy, would build our policy. We do not form alliances ‘against’, we build alliances in favour of things – in favour of implementing our national interests.

CONCLUSIONS  

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Putin clearly sees himself as part of the West. Putin also clearly sees the danger of having so many Russians outside the Russian Federation Putin does believe that NATO is a threat, not just by virtue of expansion, but by its very existence Putin seeks a Russian sphere of influence bounded by economic ties, culture, heritage, and faith.

CONCLUSIONS 

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The Russian Federation would like to be seen as coequals to the European Union and the United States. Removing parts of Europe deeply embedded by economic infrastructure, culture, heritage, and faith is deeply offensive to all the philosophical norms laid out by modern Russian thinkers such as Berdayev, Solovyov, and Ilyin. These thinkers were immensely influential on Dostoyevsky and Solzhenitsyn – two writers lauded in the West.

Putin’s Philosophy Putin: You know, I hear this all the time: Russia wants to be respected. Don’t you? Who does not? Who wants to be humiliated? It is a strange question. As if this is some exclusive right – Russia demands respect. -- Interview with Charlie Rose, 24 September 2015

PUTIN’S POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY ISSS 4456 | University of Virginia