Putinism, Populism and the Defence of Liberal Democracy

Diversifying Conspiracy Beliefs and Populist Ideologies in the Chinese Context

“…Indeed, in recent studies, the concept of “authoritarian populism” has emerged, pertaining to political phenomena in hybrid regimes and emerging democracies that share the core tenets of populism (namely, the construction of “the people”) while describing idiosyncratic trajectories distinct from that of populism in fully‐realized Western democracies (e.g., Ivanou, ; Mamonova, ; Oliker, ; Reicher, ). According to Mamonova, authoritarian populism consists of “a coercive, disciplinary state, a rhetoric of national interests, populist unity between ‘the people’ and an authoritarian leader, nostalgia for ‘past glories’ and confrontations with ‘others’ at home and/or abroad” (:562)—a definition highly relevant to the understanding of populism in the context of China.…”

“…More recently, Mamonova () and Oliker () utilized the core definitions of authoritarian populism to deconstruct the popular support of the current Putin regime; namely, a powerful state, authoritarian leadership, nostalgia for past glories, and a rhetoric of “us versus them.” They suggested a hierarchy of values, through which people could ignore the negative qualities of a leader or regime (such as the failure of representative democracy) in favor of presumedly more important ones (such as national security and political stability). Both Putin's promotion of populist support through hollow populist promises, and Stalin's utilization of populism as a top‐down tool of mobilization, provide cogent comparisons for the origins, configurations, and social bases of populist theory in contemporary China.…”

“…More recently, Mamonova (2019) and Oliker (2017) utilized the core definitions of authoritarian populism to deconstruct the popular support of the current Putin regime; namely, a powerful state, authoritarian leadership, nostalgia for past glories, and a rhetoric of "us versus them." They suggested a hierarchy of values, through which people could ignore the negative qualities of a leader or regime (such as the failure of representative democracy) in favor of presumedly more important ones (such as national security and political stability).…”

Managing Society: “Sovereign democracy” and Civil Society in Putin’s Russia

“…Convinced that foreign interference was at the heart of the protests that had been mounted in major cities prior to his re-election, the Putin government and an acquiescent Duma set forth new legislation that required NGOs to turn down funding from abroad or else register as 'foreign agents' (Oliker, 2017). By eliminating this critical source of support, the Foreign Agents Law weakened a core compponent of civil society and provided a fertile ground for suppressing dissent and pluralism (Ibid).…”

Putinization and Neo-Containment

“…Despite his acts of illiberarism and constant opposition to EU deepening, he has not given patronage to political killings and secessionist guerillas. For the opposite definition of Putinism and view on its offsprings, seeZakaria (2014) andOliker (2017).…”