Threat Status opinion contributor Clifford D. May notes how Russian political theorist Alexander Dugin has “been called Vladimir Putin’s ‘brain’ and his ‘Rasputin.’”
Mr. Dugin regards Russia as “a nation of Eurasia, a civilization he sees as mortally conflicting with the West,” writes Mr. May, the founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “Mr. Dugin objects to Americans promoting their values — including freedom, individual rights, tolerance and elf-determination — as international norms and ‘universal laws.’”
“He believes strategic alliances with other anti-Western Eurasian regimes are key to diminishing American power and global preeminence. He wrote, ‘The American empire should be destroyed,’” notes Mr. May.
“As President Trump attempts to negotiate a halt to Russia’s war against Ukraine, it’s not unreasonable for him to show respect for Mr. Putin (as he has been) if he believes that will make Mr. Putin more likely to agree to concessions,” Mr. May writes. “It’s imperative that Mr. Trump harbor no illusions about Mr. Putin — about his character, ambitions, ideology and his abiding hatred for American greatness.”
