The Face Of Fascism

Donald Trump tells a Big Lie. Vladimir Putin tells a Bigger Lie -- which is what all fascists do. Andrew Nikkiforuk writes:

Whenever asked about his historical or philosophical influences Putin cites an obscure Russian fascist by the name of Ivan Ilyin. Born into a noble family in 1883, Ilyin embraced white fascism as a response to Red fascism, also known as Bolshevism. Ilyin openly admired both Mussolini and Hitler and dreamed of a fascist Europe. Not surprisingly he remained a forgotten Russian émigré who died in Switzerland in 1954.

In his writings, Ilyin consistently advocated for a unique brand of Russian fascism. First and foremost he imagined Russia as an innocent Christian “Spirit” that the West had repeatedly tried to corrupt. Russia, in other words, was always a political innocent requiring an imperial defense.

Second, he refuted the rule of law and regarded lawlessness as patriotic act: “The fact of the matter is that fascism is a redemptive excess of patriotic arbitrariness,” he wrote.

Third, he believed that only a dictator could save Russia in its constant historical struggle against evil: a redeemer with a mystical connection to his people and history. In Ilyin’s religious world view all politics becomes “the art of identifying and neutralizing the enemy.” Only a healthy Russian empire could deliver salvation against the godless agents of globalism.

Like fascists before him, Putin seeks to up end the world:

Thanks to Putin’s aggression, democracies will face higher energy prices, severe inflation, rampant political volatility and unexpected consequences throughout the global economy. War has a way of begetting more war.

By invading Ukraine, Putin is also openly signalling to neighboring democracies that he considers them weak and manageable. Sanctions cannot hurt or dissuade this dictator who has imperial ambitions wrapped in a quasi-religious crusade.

Putin has also calculated that the world will not risk nuclear war just to save a struggling democracy of 44 million people in Ukraine.

The truth is that Russia is in a very bad way:

To project strength, the autocrat must make democracies look more disorderly than Russia’s oligarchy. Because Russia can’t address its problems, it must therefore export them — everything from disinformation to lawlessness to inequality abroad. The more democracies celebrate wealthy billionaires and nationalist movements, the more they look like Russia. The more they celebrate emotion and falsehood, the more Putin wins — for the moment.

So besides feeding Putin's lust for power, the war in Ukraine creates a diversion for Russia's population. They will suffer much more before this is over.

Image: CNN