FROM GEOPOLITICAL DARWINISM TO THE NUCLEAR MYSTIC – A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE KARAGANOV DOCTRINE Cover Image

DE LA DARWINISMUL GEOPOLITIC LA MISTICA NUCLEARĂ – O ANALIZĂ CRITICĂ A DOCTRINEI KARAGANOV
FROM GEOPOLITICAL DARWINISM TO THE NUCLEAR MYSTIC – A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE KARAGANOV DOCTRINE

Author(s): Bogdan-George Rădulescu
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Political Theory, Military policy, Political behavior, Politics and Identity
Published by: EDITURA INSTITUTULUI DE ȘTIINȚE POLITICE ȘI RELAȚII INTERNAȚIONALE ”Ion I. C. Brătianu”
Keywords: Karaganov Doctrine; Geopolitical Darwinism; Russian Expansionism; Compatriot Protection Policy; Neo-Eurasianism;

Summary/Abstract: This article examines some of the core elements of Sergei Karaganov’s doctrine in order to highlight how they sustain the expansionist ideology of the Putin regime. The analysis focuses on the abusive and strategically manipulated reinterpretations of key concepts from geopolitics and international relations, employed to legitimize Russian interventionism under the guise of “ethno-national protection“ and a so-called “civilizational sovereignty“. By dissecting these distorted doctrinal constructs, this article provides a critical reading of the mechanisms through which the Kremlin seeks to justify external aggression and undermine the principles of the liberal international order. Such an inquiry is essential for deconstructing the ideological framework that rehabilitates Russian neo-imperialism under normative pretenses. The article also explores several key tenets of Karaganov’s worldview, including the so-called “compatriot policy“, the program of de-Westernization, and the use of mystical-religious language in articulating nuclear threats. These elements are shown to function as ideological tools in Russia’s effort to reframe coercive power politics as civilizational necessity.

  • Issue Year: XXII/2025
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 50-64
  • Page Count: 15
  • Language: Romanian
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