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Studying the interplay between ideology and politics in Russian governance, from the former USSR to contemporary Russia, this book examines why, despite the prohibition of state ideology in the 1993 Russian Constitution, Russian hawks endured beyond the 1991 regime change and have risen to political prominence as the chief ideologues of Russia's confrontation against the West. Departing from realist and constructivist explanations of foreign policy focused on Vladimir Putin, Juliette Faure highlights the influence of elite groups with diverse strategic cultures and reveals how, even under authoritarian rule, a competitive space exists where rival elites contest their visions of national interests. Demonstrating the regime's strategic use of ideological ambiguity to maintain policy flexibility, Faure offers a fresh lens on the domestic factors that have played into the Russian regime's decision to wage war against Ukraine and their implications for international security, regional stability and the global balance of power.
List of contents
1. Introduction; 2. Re-enchanting Soviet modernity (1960-85); 3. The emergence of the Russian hawks as an idea network (1985-99); 4. From fringe to mainstream: Mister Hexogen's controversy (2001-2); 5. The rise of next-generation hawks in the 2000s; 6. Inside the regime's market for ideology (2005-12); 7. Competing for Russia's grand strategy (2012-22); 8. Shaping Russia's wartime ideology (2022-24); 9. Conclusion; Annex 1: List of interviews; Annex 2: Professional occupation and network connections of the Izborskii Klub's founding members (2012-2013); Annex 3: Professional occupation and biographical details of the Izborskii Klub members added in the period 20132021; References.
About the author
Juliette Faure is a FNRS Postdoctoral Researcher at the Université Libre de Bruxelles* and earned a Ph.D. in political science from Sciences Po in 2022. She received the Michael Freeden Prize for best article published in the Journal of Political Ideologies and is co-editor of the forthcoming Routledge Handbook of Ideology Analysis (2025).
Summary
Studies Russia's political and intellectual elites and the domestic factors that have played into the Russian regime's decision to wage war against Ukraine and continue to inform the Russian ruling elites' strategic thinking. An accessible analysis that will appeal to academics, journalists, experts and policymakers.
