Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin, known as ‘Putin’s brain’. ⓒBBC Newsnight Screen capture The longer the war, the more questions are piling up. Why did Putin start a war? It is difficult for the international community to understand Putin’s head, whether for real or just cause. The expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or Putin’s ambitions are not enough to explain the reasons for the aggression. A person appears here. Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin. He served as a professor at Moscow State University and is a star-level figure in Russia. He is a stranger, but after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, the domestic media also began to pay attention to him as ‘Putin’s brain’. If Dugin’s thought can be condensed into one word, it is ‘Eurasiaism’. He believes that European and American civilizations (Atlanticism) centered on the ocean have trampled on civilizations on continents, including Russia, since modern times. The key word here is ‘civilization’. He denies the core values of modern civilization, such as individual freedom, capitalism, and feminism. Socialism, the ideology of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, is the same. For Dugin, socialism is just an idea that came from the West. Dugin’s idea is that traditions in religion, culture, and customs should be restored and Russia should regain control of Eurasia. In that sense, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a war of ‘reclaiming civilization’. Dugin had already proposed annexation of Ukraine as Russia’s strategy for hegemony in his 1997 book, The Geopolitical Basis: Russia’s Geopolitical Future. It is evaluated that Putin’s speech, which denied the existence of Ukraine on February 24, when the invasion began, also originated from this book. This book is also a textbook for Russian military officers. Although unfamiliar to us, the origins of Eurasianism are deep. In the 19th century, Slavism, which tried to preserve the uniqueness of Russian civilization against Western powers, began. According to Dugin, Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky are also in the Eurasian lineage. Afterwards, exiled intellectuals who left Russia in opposition to the Bolshevik Revolution laid the ideological foundation. This ideology, imprisoned during the socialist era, captured the elite group of Russia who fell into a sense of emptiness and helplessness after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and Dugin is the person at the apex. Dr. Xiangbyo of the Max Planck Institute. ⓒCourtesy of Xiang Byao, arranged a meeting between domestic and foreign researchers who have been paying attention to Dugin. First of all, Dr. Xiang Biao from China. He is a rising intellectual in China. Born 1972, he was a professor at the University of Oxford, England, and is now the director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, a prominent German think tank. His master’s thesis at Peking University, published in his 20s, is considered a classic looking into the life of the Chinese people changing between urban and rural areas, modernity and tradition. In 2008, he was awarded the ‘Anthony Leeds Award’, a prestigious award in cultural anthropology. Last year, he participated as a co-author in published by the Institute for East Asian Studies at Sungkonghoe University. The book Self as a Method (working title), which examines changes in Chinese society, globalization and populism issues, is scheduled to be published in Korea in the second half of this year. This book, published in 2020, has established itself as a must-read for young intellectuals in China, including its 14th printing. Xiangbyuo is a scholar who cannot be left out when discussing the Russian issue. As a cultural anthropologist living in Europe, he has been paying attention to Dugin since 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula. There was concern that the enthusiasm of Russian youth for Dugin’s Eurasianism might spread to patriotic youths in China after Xi Jinping took office. And that fear is becoming a reality. In Korea, historian Lee Byung-han, the author of 〈Eurasia Insights〉, first paid attention to Dugin. He interviewed Dugin in person in Vladivostok in 2017. In an interview published in Pressian at the time, Dugin said about the 1917 Russian Revolution, “The Bolshevik experiment deepened the Europeanization of Russia that had been pursued since the 18th century. It was the complete extinction of Russian civilization, the left-leaning version of ‘the end of history’,” he said. Lim Myung-mook is a young writer who is attracting attention these days. Through books such as and , he was born in the 1990s and showed extraordinary insight from popular culture to the international situation. He, who is studying Asian regional studies in graduate school, also paid attention to Dugin from an early age. It was understood that the ideological change of the Russian ruling class was unusual, and that there was Dugin at the base. The conversation between the three people, which was conducted through an online videoconference, started with Dugin and Russia, and then spread to political correctness and youth generation issues in each country. After the videoconference, additional information was added through additional interviews. People who noticed Alexander Dugin from an early age gathered. Xiangbyuo: I looked closely at Putin’s speeches and writings after the outbreak of the war. In July 2021, Putin will post an article on the Kremlin website. Putin told all soldiers to read this article. Here, Putin says, ‘Russia and Ukraine are one’. Putin regards Kiiu, the capital of Ukraine, as the origin of Russian civilization. consistent with Dugin. According to Dugin, Ukrainians are closer to the heart of Russian culture than Russians. The civilization of Ukraine is longer than that of mainland Russia. In other words, this war is to retake the source of the civilization’s genes. Dugin recently said, “Russia can, of course, violate international law. Because I think our civilization is higher than international law.” Historian Lee Byung-han, author of 〈Eurasia Insights〉. ⓒEPN Yoon Moo-young Lee Byung-han: Based in Moscow in 2017, I traveled from Eastern Europe to Central Asia for about half a year. Putin is a dictator only in Korea and is critical in the West, but when I met Russian intellectuals and students at the time, his support for Putin was really strong. He was not just a supporter, but one based on religious and ideological orientation, and there was Eurasianism. He thought he was the right person to understand Russia’s yesterday, today and tomorrow. He sent an email saying he wanted to interview, and he was able to meet Ya Dugin after ‘Chilgo Choryeo’. Lim Myung-muk: Originally, I was very interested in Russia. As he was studying, he came across western sources that claimed that Dugin had influence in shaping Russian state policy. Among his domestic translations, Dugin was covered in and , but he thought he needed to do a more in-depth study. What was Dugin’s thought? Xiangbiano: In Dugin’s mind, this world is a confrontation between Atlanticism and Eurasianism. In his view, Russia collapsed in the 1990s because Atlanticism unfairly invaded Eurasia. Atlanticism is characterized by individualism, commercialism, openness, and democracy. Continental civilizations are collective and hierarchical. Putin calls this ‘vertical power’, which means that individuals must submit to states and groups. Lim Immuk: It is a reaction against modernity. Dugin sees Western maritime powers as destroying the traditions and cultures that other civilizations have built up over thousands of years. We call it a ‘Great Reset’. The way to counter this is that the great peoples on the continent must unite to destroy the globalists of the West. Political correctness issues such as feminism and multiculturalism are also only Western civilizations in Dugin’s view. Dugin cites homosexuality as a typical symptom of moral depravity. Lee Byung-han: Personally, I see the megatrend of the 21st century as the ‘post-west’. World history, dominated by the West after the Opium War, is changing dramatically in 200 years. Meanwhile, Russia has chosen Eurasianism. China is also going to a great revival of Chinese civilization led by Xi Jinping. It’s an unusual flow. Xiangbyuo: Why are so many people interested in international politics today? I think it’s because he projects his life as if living in the jungle to the international community. When this sentiment is projected into international politics, it appears as a very strong nationalist position. This is nihilism. Because there is no public principle or justice here. Just as Dugin divides civilizations into continents and oceans, emphasizing their respective traditions. In a country with a strong power like China (if this idea spreads), a difficult situation may come. Is there any possibility that the younger generation in China or Korea will fall for a character like Dugin? Lim Myung-mook, the author of Thinking of K. ⓒCourtesy of Im Myung-mook Im Im-muk: It is clear that it will have tremendous destructive power for Russians, but it is too abstract for people from other countries. However, in the past, there was an atmosphere of support for Putin and Russia in Korean internet communities such as ‘DC Inside’. There were quite a few young people enthusiastic about Putin’s disregard for feminism and political correctness. This is because the masculine power, symbolized by Putin, coolly stepped on the things they thought were uncomfortable. If such hatred and anger are used to incite the public, there is a possibility that it will exert power in Korea as well. Lee Byung-han: Right now, Korea is at the pinnacle of ‘Gukppong’. Although it has become a developed country, it is difficult for individuals and countries to decide where they will go in the future. Would you call it a life without purpose? In that case, if someone gives something profound and grandiose meaning, there is a soil that can have an appeal. However, it seems that there are still no thinkers in Korea who can design and present a certain vision like Dugin. Xiangbiano: What I take seriously is the nihilism of young people. In particular, the nihilism of young technocrats who passed exams and became high-ranking officials will be a problem. Those who have studied all their lives want to find meaning when they come to power. You will find a sublime theory. In the worst case, Dugin’s argument can be accepted as a sublime theory. I am concerned that if this happens, Hannah Arendt’s ‘banality of evil’ may appear. What is the situation for young people in China and Russia? Lim Myung-mook: I saw two emotions while meeting young people on a trip to Russia. One is the resignation feeling that there is no hope in Russia and that they must escape abroad. Another was the sentiment that emphasized pride and mission for Russia as a great power. It seems that young people in East Asia also have such a double sentiment. Xiang Biao: There seem to be two groups of Chinese youth. One is Japan’s Satori (Dalgwan) generation, who are similar to Korea’s N-po generation. Another is a patriotic group like Xiao Fenhong (also known in Korea). The former were born into a middle-class family in the city, and they had a great desire to raise their status, but they were frustrated. It is highly likely that these numbers will increase rapidly due to the pandemic economic crisis. The latter are mainly young people from rural areas. They complain that ‘the country has developed, but they have been marginalized’. The scale is shrinking, but instead, it is becoming more extreme. What the two groups have in common is that they have lost meaning in their lives. Young people with money choose to emigrate like young Russians. So, what I’m emphasizing these days is the word ‘nearby’. In Korean, it means ‘around’. I think there should be a movement to find meaning in one’s daily life. A pro-Russian rebel armored vehicle passes through the city of Mariupol, a port city in southern Ukraine, on April 21. ⓒREUTERS Even in Korea, political correctness and gender issues are hotly debated on the Internet. What is the situation in China? Xiangbiano: China is similar. When it comes to political correctness, there is a backlash that Western society has a double standard. It does not apply to them, but only to China. So, ‘Black Lives matter’ was an issue in China as well. In China, too, young men protest against political correctness. Because they have high moral principles and feel they are neglecting them. On the feminist issue, like Russia, it emphasizes and criticizes its own tradition. But this is not logical. China and Russia have a history of socialism in which women were liberated. There is a modern tradition of respecting women and strengthening women’s power. Even if Putin and Dugin deny it, this is an existing historical experience. Dr. Xiang Biao (large screen) having a zoom meeting with , historian Lee Byung-han (bottom), and writer Lim Myung-mook (third from top). ⓒEPN Shin Seon-young Anti-Chinese sentiment is getting serious around the world, and the anti-Russian sentiment is also boiling through this war. How is China accepting foreign anti-Chinese sentiments? Xiangbyo: For young people, it is certain. I think we need to fight more strongly against anti-Chinese sentiment in foreign countries. The logic of foreign countries criticizing China is unfair, and I think they feel jealous of China’s behavior. Recently, I had a conversation with a university student, and they said that foreigners in the past despised Chinese people for being poor, but now they are jealous because they have a lot of money. Whether China’s view of overseas or the view of overseas China is a vicious cycle. In that regard, we have to think about how we will view the Russians this time. As public opinion criticizes Russia increases, the Russian people come out defensively. The more you criticize, the more likely the discourse Dugin preached will be strengthened internally. It is necessary to reflect on whether it is not possible to have a calm conversation with Russians through exchanges rather than attacks. Lee Byung-han: Regarding the Ukraine issue, there is something that needs to be looked at carefully. This is the reaction of countries other than the United States and Europe, and Korea and Japan. It is not so one-sided as discussed in the Korean public forum. Not only China, but also India, Brazil and South Africa are not participating in the UN sanctions against Russia. The so-called ‘BRICs’ countries did not participate in Russian sanctions. Not everyone hates Putin and supports Zelensky. If you look at the world centered on Western Europe and Korea, the United States, and Japan, this is a reality you will miss.
ssn-general
Reading the Crisis of Korea and China in Russia’s ‘Gukbong’
