Rossiyskiy Patriotism: The Russian Zeitgeist (II)

Rossiyskiy Patriotism as an Organic Russian Ideology:

Rossiyskiy Patriotism is not just a belief, but a guiding mindset. It is important to underline that despite its far-reaching popularity, it is not an official state ideology, as such things are banned under the Russian Constitution. Nevertheless, this does not prohibit ideology in and of itself from unofficially existing in the Russian Federation and being widely practiced without de-jure state support. One need look no further than Liberal-Democrats and Communists, for example, to see that ideology is still a fact of life for many Russians today. In this same manner, so too is Rossiyskiy Patriotism, but it is instead an endemic grassroots Russian philosophy not imported and implemented from abroad. This makes it an even more organic form of political and social development better suited to Russia’s unique civilizational history and cultural nuances than Liberal-Democracy or Communism. Due to its all-encompassing nature, it transcends and unifies the differences in Russian history and society that Liberal-Democracy and Communism exacerbate and tear apart. It does not want to fundamentally change Russia into something that it is not (like the other two theories aspire to do), but instead wants to reinforce what it is and strengthen its unique identity. Where the other ideologies may result in the destruction of Russia’s civilizational heritage (whether by default or design), Rossiyskiy Patriotism wants to save it.

The Rossiyskiy Patriotic Idea as an Application of Multipolarity’s Civilizational Patriotism:

The adherents of Rossiysky Patriotism continuously defend Russia in the face of attack and articulate their arguments in such a way as to properly cut through the negative propaganda being disseminated. They pledge themselves towards peacefully supporting their views, and they welcome individuals of all races and creeds. Although manifesting itself in different ways, the common denominator that all Russian patriots have is their appreciation of Russia’s civilization and all that it is doing for multipolarity.

In this sense, Rossiyksiy Patriotism is an offshoot of multipolarity and can be seen as one of its regional ideological applications. It centers itself around the civilization of Russia, while still being respectful of other civilizations and recognizing their right to exist differently. Through its support of multipolarity, Rossiyskiy Patriotism thus indirectly supports all other civilizations, since the unipolar world is not conducive towards the long-term survival of any civilization besides the Western one. This makes it a form of civilizational patriotism.

Linking together the concepts of multipolarity and civilization, one can arrive at the prospect of future civilizational multipolarity, where civilizations become the main actors of international relations in a multipolar world. This is the theory most recently advocated by Professor Alexander Dugin. The idea is very plausible and extremely relevant to Rossiyskiy Patriotism, as it would make the latter a template for other civilizational patriotisms that can accelerate multipolarity’s onset. For example, following the example of Rossiyskiy Patriotism, one may see Hindi Patriotism (not to be confused with Hindu Nationalism) and Sino Patriotism. It would is more difficult to see Islamic Patriotism, for example, as there is currently no political entity large enough to lay claim to representing the civilization as a whole, unlike Rossiyskiy (Russia), Hindi (India), and Sino (China) Patriotisms.

A Hope for the Future:

Rossiyskiy Patriotism truly is a transformative movement that has the capability of enacting long-term change across the world. The representatives of one civilization, in this case, Russian, have awakened from their unipolar-imposed slumber and are setting a positive example for their civilizational counterparts all across the world. The multifaceted (direct and indirect) enforcement of unique Western norms on non-Western civilizations over the past two decades has finally resulted in a civilizational counter response manifested as Rossiyskiy Patriotism. Once more, as they are historically wont to do, the representatives of Russian civilization are rising up against oppression (this time, global in scope) and saying that “Enough is enough!”. Through its peaceful methods of resistance and its successful diplomatic support of multipolarity, the Russian Federation is giving hope to the rest of the non-Western world that resistance and defiance is not futile, and that the future may rest in a dialogue of civilizations instead of the fatalist pro-Western “end of history”.