The Ideological Framework of Early Post-Soviet Russia’s Relationship with Turkey: The Case of Alexander Dugin’s Eurasianism

Abstract

Every historical phenomenon can be approached from different perspectives, and its particular attributes can be as important as being related to other structurally similar phenomena. The collapse of the USSR did not lead to absolute predominance of the USA even in the early post-Cold War era. This provided an opportunity for Russia and Turkey, together of course with other players, to engage in geopolitical flirtations on the grounds of common historical and cultural traits. ‘Eurasianism’, as professed by Alexander Dugin and similar minded intellectuals, was the ideological framework for this attempt by Turkey and Russia or at least by some segments of their elites to move closer to each other.

Notes

1. David Brandenberger, National Bolshevism: Stalinist Mass Culture and the Formation of Modern Russian National Identity, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2002.

2. I. P. Khosla, ‘Turkey: the search for a role?’, 31 December 2001, p. 9, <http://www.idsa-india.org/an-jua-2,htm>.

3. Haroutin Khuchatrian, ‘The Russian–Turkish rapprochement could benefit Armenia’, Eurasianist.org, 2 January 2005.

4. Jan Gorvett, ‘Turkish General causes controversy with call for Turkey to stop seeking European Union membership’, Eurasianist.org, 13 March 2002; Igor Torbakov, ‘Eurasian idea could bring together erstwhile enemies Turkey and Russia’, Eurasianist.org, 18 March 2002.

5. Louis Meixler, ‘Putin visits Turkey for pipeline ceremony’, AP, 17 November 2005.

6. Ihsam D. Dagi, ‘Turkey’s strategic choice: Eurasianism or Europeanism?’, Central Asian–Caucasus Analyst, 8, 2002.

7. Ibid.

8. Igor Torbakov, ‘Turkish experts pessimistic on restoration of U.S.–Turkish relationship’, Eurasianist.org, 22 July 2003.

9. Igor Torbakov, ‘Geopolitical pressure compels Turkey to reexamine international options’, Eurasia Insight, 27 January 2003.

10. Khuchatrian, op. cit.

11. Ata Atun’, ‘Eurasian Union nearing reality’, Turkish Weekly, 13 August 2007.

12. Stephen Kotkin, ‘Mongol Commonwealth: exchange and governance across the post-Mongol space’, Kritika, August 2007, p. 3.

13. ‘V Turtsii predotvrashchen prorossiiskii gosudarstvennyi perevorot’, Kavkazcenter.com, 22 March 2008.

14. Mevlut Katik, ‘Turkey wages two-pronged diplomatic offensives to boost Western integration effort’, Eurasianist.org, 22 January 2004.

15. Alexander Dugin, ‘Geopolitika evro’, Ekonomicheskii Kurs, September 2006.

16. ‘Gruziia pered vyborom’, Evraziiskoe Obozrenie, January 2001.

17. ‘Gruziia vstala na “tropu voiny”’, Severnyi Kavkaz, 1 August 2006.

18. Alexander Dugin and Igor Dobaev, ‘Geopoliticheskie transformatsii na iuge Rossii’, Evraziia, 23 April 2005.

19. ‘Geopoliticheskie problem blizhnego zarubezh’ia’, Elementy, 3, 1992.

20. Mikhail Mochkin, ‘Energetika kak ekonomicheskii proekt’, Evraziia, 18 December 2006.

21. Dugin interview for Informatsionno-analiticheskii portal Chavo? (Chasto zadavaemye voprosy), Evraziia, 2003 (no date or month given).

22. ‘Stenogramma raboty ucheriditel’nogo sezda OPOD “Evraziia”’, Evraziia, 18 December 2001.

23. ‘Evraziistvo i Turtsiia’, Evraziia, 28 February 2003.

24. ‘Evraziiskaia initsiativa priobretaet zrimye ochertaniia’, Evraziia, 30 April 2005.

25. Alexander Dugin, ‘Turtsiia na evraziiskom virazhe’, Izvestiia.ru, 18 March 2003.

26. ‘Obrashchenie evraziitsev Rossii k evraziitsam Turtsii’, Evraziia, 6 September 2002.

27. Aleksei Arestovich, ‘Bol’shoi peredel Maloi Azii’, Evraziia, 9 April 2005.

28. ‘General’nyi sekretar’ Rabochei partii Turtsii Mekhmet Bedri Giul’tekin: Za vzryvami v Stambule stoit partiia voiny v Vashingtone!’, Evraziia, 27 November 2003.

29. ‘Obrashchenie’, op. cit.

30. Alexander Dugin, ‘Inogda nuzhno ne tal’ko umet’ pomnit’, no i umet’ zabyvat’’, Evraziia, 22 January 2006.

31. Alexander Dugin, ‘Tsel’ vzryvov v Stambule-vozvrat Turtsii v Atlantiku’, Evraziia, 18 December 2003.

32. Alexander Dugin, ‘Evraziiskii proekt: vozvrashchenie domoi’, Rodina, 9 (2003).

33. ‘Ofitsial’nye vstrechi rukovodstva Evraziiskogo dvizheniia s poslami velikikh derzhav Turtsii i Irana’, Evraziia, 25 November 2008.

34. Albert Chernyshev, ‘Evraziiskaia Rossiia-Evraziiskaia Turtsiia’, Evraziia, 15 March 2003.

35. Valentin Prussakov, ‘Islamiskaia Mozaikoi’, Zavtra, 1 August 2007.

36. Kotkin, op. cit.

37. Alexander Dugin, ‘Evraziiskii zavet i geopolitika Turtsii’, Kraznaia Zvezda, January 2004, p. 28.

38. ‘Obrashchenie’, op. cit.

39. Dugin, ‘Turtsiia na evraziiskom virazhe’, op. cit.

40. Pavel Zarifullin, ‘Slaviano tiurkskii simbioz kak osnova evraziiskoe gosudarstvennosti XXI veka’, Evraziia, 7 July 2009.

41. Tkachev Rogozin, ‘The meeting of the “Eurasia” party leaders and the leaders of the “Worker’s Party” of Turkey’, Evraziia, 11 November 2003.

42. Ibid.

43. The term was invented by Lev Gumilev and means ‘passion/drive’, the energy of cosmic origins that is the impetus to act by both individuals and people. The term became quite popular in post-Soviet Russia.

44. E. Bakhrevskii, ‘Evraziiskii proekt dlia Turtsii’, Evraziiskoe Obozrenie, September 2002, p. 7.

45. ‘Obrashchenie’, op. cit.

46. Mikhail Chvanov, ‘Evraziistvo Rossii sud’ba russkogo naroda’, Evraziiskoe Obozrenie, September 2003.

47. Dugin, ‘Inogda nuzhno ne tal’ko umet’ pomnit’’, op. cit.

48. ‘Obrashchenie’, op. cit.

49. ‘Istoricheskie zaiavleniia rossiiskoi delegatsii’, Evraziia, 17 December 2003.

50. ‘XXI vek dolzhen stat’ vekom russko-turetskoi druzhby’, Evraziia, 23 January 2006.

51. Dagi, op. cit.

52. Dugin, ‘Bolshaia igra za kavkaz: Vyzov Saakashvili’, Vedomosti, 16 March 2004.

53. Dugin interview, op. cit.