AN INTERVIEW WITH ALEXANDER DUGIN: AGAINST UNIVERSALISM

Would you buy a tapestry from this man?

by Rémi Tremblay

My recent articles have been critical of Eurasianism, and have raised a few questions. Alexander Dugin, the author of the two books referred to in my articles, has kindly offered to answer them.

Rémi Tremblay: In the West, Eurasianism seems to seek to ally itself with nationalists. However, in Russia nationalist groups like the ones that support Russia in the West were crushed and repressed. What can Western nationalists learn from that repression?

Alexander Dugin: Eurasianism works with different groups who are against liberalism, North American hegemony and Modernity as a whole. These groups can be right or left. It is most important to be against liberalism and Atlanticism. But Eurasianism is not nationalistic—it is a Fourth Political Theory, ideologically similar to the European New Right of Alain de Benoist.

THOUGHTS ON DUGIN'S "EURASIAN MISSION"

Ivan Grozny: part of the Eurasian tradition.

by Rémi Tremblay

Count Nikolai Trubetzkoy first established the theory of Eurasianism, and is thus considered the founder of the movement. He was also a friend of Claude Lévi-Strauss, the famous French anthropologist, from whom Eurasianism drew its idea of a pluralistic world. This is the first and most important position of the Eurasian philosophy, which can also be formulated negatively as the rejection of Western universalism.

This universalism also had French roots, growing out of 18th-century Enlightenment thought, the effective imperialism that emerged through the military and technological dominance of the European powers, and the resulting Eurocentrism.

In addition to rejecting these aspects of the West, Eurasianism also rejects the hypocrisy of modern democracy, the ideology of "human rights," and consumerist materialism. To counter Western universalism, Eurasianism proposes a multipolar world that is modulated by a sense of social responsibility and traditionalism.

The ideas of Eurasianism have evolved into what Alexander Dugin terms Neo-Eurasianism and the Fourth Political Theory, the latter also the name of Dugin's best known book in English. Recently published by Arktos, Eurasian Mission is Dugin's most recent summation and update of his theories to appear in English. This allows us to consider his theories and outlook in some detail.

ESSENTIAL EURASIANISM

This is the first in a series of articles on the ideology of Eurasianism, a driving force behind many of Putin’s actions.

"The Three Bogatyrs" (1898) by Viktor Vasnetsov

by Rémi Tremblay

Much has been said about the ideology of Eurasianism—many criticisms raised, many praises expressed—but what exactly does it stand for?

Among the competing definitions and explanations of Eurasianism, that presented by Alexander Dugin in Putin Vs Putin (Arktos, 2014, p. 175 – 177) is probably the best summary of the core beliefs, as it presents the most important elements with neither apology nor justification, unlike many of other explanations that are available.