Publication

This paper examines the conservative and nationalistic ideology that the Russian public has increasingly embraced since Moscow's annexation of Crimea in March 2014. More specifically, the paper's author contemplates 1) the key components of the ideology and the reasons for its rise; 2) how the ideology has been manipulated by the Putin regime; 3) how the Russian people view the US and EU, President Putin, and Russia's place in the world; 4) whether Russian society is being militarized; and 5) whether there is any political space for an ideology of modernization in Russia. In the last case, the author isn't sanguine, especially since change will require the support of both the Russian people and ruling elite.