Promoting Putinism and a New Ideological Stance: The Putin Museum

A law has been introduced into the Duma by the ever present Putin sycophant who also happens to be head of A Just Russia Sergei Mironov that will create a museum for Vladimir Putin studies. The law claims that the new institute will promote research based on Putin that will explore issues of Russia's place in the world, its future development, and its history. It also claims to be a way for future presidents to preserve their role in Russian life after they have finished their two terms.

This is an interesting development: it seems likely that this Institute will be another part in a growing network of governmental bodies that are supporting the new Putinism/sovereign democracy ideology which is now being touted as the gel for the development of the new Russia - and is Putin's new coalition for bringing together Russia and redefining its 'mission' in the world after the fragmentation of the post-communist 1990s. This ideology seems to be developing into a strange blend of continued capitalist reforms, Eurasianist ideology (Dugin, the Eurasianist thinker is now featured prominently in Kremlin propaganda and espouses similar ideas regarding Russia's use of landpower and what he calls a "conservative revolution" - one that seemingly preserves traditional Russian institutions while also brings about needed change), anti-Americanism (see Nashi's frequent attacks on America and on opposition politicians as being American), and good ole fashioned nationalism (this is mainly manifested through spending oil money on the army and "national projects", though here, there is a difficult struggle going on between those who are more and less willing to flirt with anti-immigration and racism in Russia as another plank in the Putin coalition). Much of this is leading to a renewed interest in the Tsarist empire and its less western oriented ideology...