Russian conservatism is making a forceful return after a century of experimenting with socialism and liberalism. Conservatism is about managing change by ensuring that modernization evolves organically by building on the past. Conservatism has a natural attraction for Russia as its thousand-year long history is largely characterized by revolutionary change - the destructive process of uprooting the past to give way to modernity. Navigating towards gradual and organic modernization has been a key struggle ever since the Mongols invaded in the early 13th century and decoupled Russia from Europe and the arteries of international trade. Russian history has consisted of avoiding revolutions that are either caused by falling behind on modernization or making great leaps forward that disrupts socio-economic and political traditions. Russian conservatives are now tasked with harmonizing the conservative ideas of the 19th century with the revolutionary changes that shaped Russia in the 20th century. The rise of Asia now provides new opportunities as it enables Russia to overcome its fixation on the West and develop a unique Russian path towards modernization that harmonizes its Eurasian geography and history.

Speaker:

Glenn Diesen is a Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), and an editor at the Russia in Global Affairs journal. His research focus is the geoeconomics and conservative philosophy of Russia’s Greater Eurasia Initiative. Diesen’s latest books are: Europe as the Western Peninsula of Greater Eurasia: Geoeconomic Regions in a Multipolar World (forthcoming); Russian Conservatism: Managing Change under Permanent Revolution (2021); Great Power Politics in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The Geoeconomics of Technological Sovereignty (2021); Russia in a Changing World (2020); The Decay of Western Civilisation and Resurgence of Russia: Between Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft (2018); Russia’s Geoeconomic Strategy for a Greater Eurasia (2017); and EU and NATO relations with Russia: After the collapse of the Soviet Union (2015).

Discussants:

Andrey Kortunov graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) in 1979 and completed his postgraduate studies at the Institute for U.S. and Canada Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1982. He holds a PhD in History. Dr Kortunov completed internships at the Soviet embassies in London and Washington, and at the Permanent Delegation of the USSR to the UN.

From 1982–1995, Dr. Kortunov held various positions in the Institute for U.S. and Canada Studies, including Deputy Director. He taught at universities around the world, including the University of California, Berkeley. In addition, he led several public organizations involved in higher education, social sciences and social development.

Since 2011, Andrey Kortunov has been the Director General of RIAC. He is a member of expert and supervisory committees and boards of trustees of several Russian and international organizations. His academic interests include contemporary international relations and Russian foreign policy.

Paul Robinson is a Professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. He is the author and editor of numerous works on Russian and Soviet history. His most recent book, entitled Russian Conservatism, was published by Northern Illinois University Press in 2019, and he is currently writing a history of Russian liberalism. He writes regularly for the international press, and blogs at Irrussianality.

Moderator:

Marlene Laruelle, Ph.D., is Director, Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies; Director, Illiberalism Studies Program; Co-Director, PONARS-Eurasia; Director, Central Asia Program; and Research Professor of International Affairs at George Washington University.

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