The highlights of the May edition of Politichesky Klass

The Chronicle of Political Thought includes articles on the main issue discussed in the latter half of April and early May: personnel reshuffles after the inauguration of President Dmitry Medvedev, and the diarchy of the president and the prime minister (Vladimir Putin) as a new feature of Russia»s political system. Philosopher and political analyst Arkady Maler writes that the so-called Orthodox Project is the best way to deal with the drawbacks of the liberal West and the totalitarian East. The Project»s political programme is based on the ancient practices of encouraging religious beliefs in non-Christian cultures and states, as well as the specifically Orthodox teaching, accepted in Byzantium, about the imperial state as the Katechon, Зthe one who restrains,И according to the Second Epistle of Paul to Thessalonians. The main goal of the Katechon is to restrain the forces of lawlessness and maintain normalcy in society. Philosopher and political analyst Leonid Fishman considers recent projects that present Russia as the Katechon. The author offers an interpretation of the Apocalypse proving that Russia can also be considered as an apocalyptical Babylon. He writes that Russia is again promised the role of the Katechon as a Зnational idea.И By accepting this role without fully understanding its essence, Russia will choose the path of Babylon because one must live up to the role of the Katechon. According to journalist Stanislav Vasilyev, the era of Catherine II, who ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796, was Russia»s Golden Age. Using that example to interpret the mystery of national success, the author compares the rule of Vladimir Putin to the reign of Catherine II and concludes that the main elements Russians lack now are enthusiasm and energy, which resulted in the brilliant victories of Suvorov, Rumyantsev, Ushakov and other Catherine»s Зeagles.И Without such enthusiasm and energy, Russia would not have advanced so far in the economy, education and culture or become a competitive state in the 21st century. Economist Alexander Aivazov analyses reasons behind the growth of oil prices from the viewpoint of Nikolai Kondratyev»s theory of major cycles. He warns that Russia will not have 15-20 years of sustainable rapid development, as the authorities hope, but 15-20 years of crises, defaults and other meltdowns that accompany the process of global economic Зrebooting.И Political analyst Yuri Solobozov writes about relations between Russia and Kazakhstan on the eve of President Dmitry Medvedev»s first international visit that the most promising sphere will be joint initiatives regarding integration associations. Both states are the recognised locomotives of integration, and this positive trend would meet their interests. Political analyst Alexander Yusupovsky believes that interpretations of history have become a major battlefield of modern information wars, including in the regions where the Second World War raged in 1939-1945. Appeals to morals have become a routine but effective propaganda instrument, and humankind should probably introduce the notion of Зdeontological warsИ as a new type of information wars and psychological operations and a new weapon of mass demoralisation. Philosopher Alexander Tsipko has contributed the final part of his article in which he writes that the transformation of the idea of Зsovereign democracyИ into a state ideology during Vladimir Putin»s term included the first serious attempts to formulate the new Зbasic valuesИ for consolidating the Russian political elite and society. It was only in the early 21st century, a decade after the anti-Communist revolution of the 1990s, that Russians started developing an ideology adjusted to the change. But the author fears that Russian authorities, while feigning attempts to liberalise Putin»s policy, are in fact discouraging the values of liberal patriotism and using national traditions and values as the basis for formulating the goals of industrial modernisation. Writer Sergei Belkin tries to determine the direction in which public understanding of the normal and abnormal is moving in the sphere of social morality. He believes that the general public and the overwhelming majority of politicians and journalists are confused on the issue of morals, relations between morals and law and morals and religion, and other aspects of social life, despite in-depth and comprehensive studies. As a result, the bulk of people do not understand the origins of moral norms, the things that influence them, or the difference between morality and morals. This issue ends with the traditional ratings of Russia»s top politicians today and ten years ago, and book reviews.

(Автор: без автора)