Nick Rooney conducted a series of interviews with Alexander Dugin for the documentary The Wolf in the Moonlight. Dugin is a controversial Russian intellectual known as "Putin's Brain." He is highly influential, but also an unapologetically illiberal figure. He has been called "The World's Most Dangerous Philosopher." The short video is from the longer film. Nick... Continue Reading →
The Nation and the State in Early Slavic History
This is a reflection on Serhii Plokhy's The Origins of the Slavic Nations. Plokhy offers the definitive account on the origins of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Justin Kempf considers the implications of their history for how the nation and the state are considered. Dividing the Nation from the State The division between the nation and the... Continue Reading →
Belarus as Nation and Identity
The definitive work on Belarus remains the work of Andrew Wilson. Published in 2012, his book Belarus: The Last European Dictatorship is the best source for its history including the rise of Alexander Lukashenko. The recent protests will likely spark new scholarship into Belarus, but they will all begin with this book for the foreseeable... Continue Reading →
Mark R. Beissinger – Nationalist Mobilization and the Collapse of the Soviet State
My most impressive professor at Truman State University was Dr. John Ishiyama. He was a professor of political science but his specialization was Post Soviet Politics. He was widely regarded as our most accomplished political scientist not simply for his knowledge of the region, but his familiarity with political science methodology. Indeed, he did not... Continue Reading →
Podcast Episode 8: Yael Tamir
Yael Tamir is the author of Why Nationalism. We discuss Liberalism, Cosmopolitanism, and, of course, Nationalism. Since the end of World War II, Nationalism has largely been associated with the far right. Tamir believes this is a mistake and reimagines a path for the left to reclaim Nationalism through a realignment with Liberalism. Our... Continue Reading →