Current Affairs

Yesterday was the day of the funeral of Alexei Nevalny… A sombre affair with thousands queueing to pay their respects. They stood in silence holding onto flowers and entered the Orthodox church while being monitored by the state security forces. There was no family apart from Navalny’s parents. Alexei Navalny’s wife was in Europe, doing her best to support her dead husbands wishes for a new Russia. Though Navalnya received a standing ovation for her bravery, it was only her voice in the EU forum, however she stood out among the hundreds of European leaders who she asked to bring justice to her family for the murder of her husband Alexei Navalny.

In Russia, it was business as usual for Putin, he stood among the upper and lower Duma and with an uncontested voice began dictating the arguments he believes most crucial to the state. At the top of this list was the war in Ukraine, with a mixture of dictats and assertions, a more confident Putin argued victory was close. Tatania Stanovaya writing in Carnegie believed that this speech was a “pivotal point”[…] and that “Russia has passed some kind of milestone”, both geopolitically and “strategically”.

The speech was not the angry speech that Putin delivered last year, but it was also not a progressive argument, instead Putin took an ideological stance and argued that he and Russia were creating a new world. He seemed to believe that Russia is close to winning the war in Ukraine and that the “holy war” (as he argues) is close to an ending. A year ago Putin spoke about the war in Ukraine as part of protecting mother Russia, which he felt was threatened. But this year Putin argued that the end of the war was close and will bring about a stronger Russia.

Putin’s confidence in the ability of the Russian military to dictate the terms of the war is because he believes that Europe and US support for the war in Ukraine has become fragmented. He believes Russia is leading the argument for the future of Ukraine and it is the failure of Europe and the US to continue providing the Ukrainians with the necessary military equipment and aid it needs has led to Putin’s confidence in the outcome of the war . Putin believes Russia is in the ascendent, not just militarily but also theoretically, he believes that Russia has an argument, which challenges the post war liberal argument of the West.  

Putin believes the Liberal argument is failing and that politically there is a movement towards authoritarian government, not just in the sphere of the East but also in the West. A poll of 18-35 year old found that thirty five percent of the population of liberal western countries would vote for an authoritarian government. The poll was centred in America and generally was polled in states where there was debate on contentious arguments. But those who believe in authoritarian government argue that Western liberalism is failing them.

Countries such as Britain have a ruling party that argues against “WOKE” concerns, traditionalists argue that the country is being corrupted by the divisiveness of these arguments. In America, the argument is against the liberalism of the States, and there are concerns about arguments especially the LGBTQ movement. Putin argues that the LGBTQ argument corrupts the state and that the traditional arguments of the past are central to the states identity. In this sense, Putin’s view that he has support for his arguments in the West, does have some bearing and his assumption that it endangers Russia is voiced by his Conservative platform.

But in Russia, the authoritarianism of the state has made it illegal to challenge the political canon, especially on the Special Military Operation that has now being going on for two years. Putin has made it a criminal offence to criticise the war in Ukraine, or demonstrate against the war. In his speech he argued that the state would crackdown on those that criticised the war and there would be jail sentences for anybody that challenged or opposed the states position on the war. He argued that if the West was to support the Ukrainians then Russia would use its nuclear capabilities against the West. He bragged that Russia was already using new weapons in the Ukrainian theatre, but ultimately Russia would view any military confrontation with the West was an act of war

With America’s election, there are elements who have endangered the possible end to the Ukrainian conflict through regressive arguments. Congress’ failure to put through the Biden administrations policy of providing aid to the Ukrainians, is acting as a catalyst to an upcoming argument on the future of Liberal democracy, which Putin believes he is winning. Putin believes he has the upper hand on the West and though Russia is weakened from its war with Ukraine, he believes Russia has turned the page and will win the confrontation with Ukraine and it will spell the end of the Western political argument as a force in the world.