Russia’s New Authoritarianism

David G. Lewis is Associate Professor of International Relations in the Department of Politics at the University of Exeter. He is the author of The Temptations of Tyranny in Central Asia (Hurst, 2008) and he has contributed articles to the Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, Cooperation and Conflict and Europe-Asia Studies, among others.

This book is a thought-provoking contribution to the literature on Russian politics and foreign policy, presenting a coherent and strong argument regarding the ideas and strategies of Putinism.

• Preface1: Authoritarianism, Ideology and OrderUnderstanding Russian AuthoritarianismOrder, smuta and the Russian StateRussia as WeimarCarl Schmitt and Authoritarian Order 2: Carl Schmitt and Russian ConservatismCarl Schmitt in MoscowSchmitt in the AcademyDugin, Schmitt, and Neo-Eurasianist thoughtRemizov and the New ConservativesNormalising Schmitt 3. Sovereignty and the ExceptionThe Centrality of SovereigntySovereignty in International AffairsDiscursive sovereigntyDomestic Sovereignty: Deciding on the ExceptionThe Sovereign LeaderThe Sovereign and the CourtException, Norms and ‘Manual Control’The Dual State 4: Democracy and the PeoplePutinism and DemocracyThe Decline of ParliamentarianismConstructing a MajorityA majority of values 5: Defining the EnemyRussia and its enemiesConstructing the Enemy DiscourseThe Enemy Within: The fifth columnCivil society and foreign agentsThe End of Consensus 6: Dualism, Exceptionality and the Rule of LawLaw in RussiaConceptualising dualismPoliticized justiceMechanisms of exceptionProkuraturaSecurity servicesCourts and judgesThe exception becomes the norm 7: The Crimean ExceptionCrimea: The sovereign decisionLegality as imperialismOrder and orientation 8: Großraum Thinking in Russian Foreign PolicyA World of Great SpacesRussia’s Spatial CrisisRussia’s Spatial ProjectsRussia as Hegemonic PowerThe Political IdeaExclusion of Foreign PowersThe new Schmittians 9: Apocalypse Delayed: Katechontic Thinking in late Putinist RussiaRussian messianismRussia as contemporary katechonKatechontic thinking and the Syrian intervention ConclusionBibliography