The Other World
Inside the Izborskii Club: Russia’s anti-Western Intelligentisa
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
After the mass protests in the winter 2011/2012, the Kremlin feared a “color revolution” in Russia. In order to direct the rebellion towards an external enemy, circles close to the Kremlin brought Russia’s anti-Western and illiberal intelligentsia together in the Izborskii Club in the autumn of 2012. The “mini-ideology” that emerged there is a mixture of Orthodox Christian, communist, and West European, radical right-wing ideas. What holds it together is anti-Americanism. Club members call for an even more authoritarian domestic policy and additional military expansion. This is not in line with the Kremlin’s considerations of political power. If necessary, however, Russia's leadership can use the Izborskii Club’s propaganda at any time.
(Osteuropa 3/2015, pp. 109–138)