Andrew Wilson about the so-called Russlandversteher: They do not “understand” in a proper critical or analytical sense. They simply present Russia’s point of view to the West. Even more seriously, by saying we must respect and accommodate Russia’s feelings and interests, they do not understand that so much of Russian discourse has its origins in myth-making political technology. So many of the tropes that we hear so much about in the West are either blatantly false or have only the smallest kernel of truth. He makes another important point -- that Russians are not by their nature or history condemned to live in an autocratic system forever: What is unique about Russia is its political culture. Not “inevitable authoritarianism”, which is a myth spun by that culture – the Western myth that Russia is doomed to autocracy is the mirror-image of the Russian myth that the country can only be governed by a strong leader – but the manipulative culture of the many types of “political technology”.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 15:50:39 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015