The Russian Hawks: Ideologues in the Service of the Empire

Since the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, imperialist, anti-Western and conservative themes have taken centre stage in the Russian government’s rhetoric. Yet this ideology did not emerge with the war. As far back as the Soviet era, thinkers – the «hawks» – rejected any convergence with the West and advocated modernisation based on a strong state, technological progress and traditional values. This book is devoted to tracing the genealogy of this «modernising conservatism», from the 1960s to the present day, following an investigation based on interviews conducted in Moscow with its ideologues, notably those of the Izborsk Club. The author shows that their influence has by no means been linear: state support has gone through phases of expansion and decline, and these thinkers still considered themselves marginalised on the eve of the war. The book thus invites us to view the Russian state not as a monolithic entity, but as a space traversed by competing ideological frameworks.

Juliette Faure which is a lecturer in political science at the University of Lille (CERAPS). She holds a PhD in political science from Sciences Po Paris and is a specialist in contemporary Russia. Her research focuses on conservative ideologies and their political influence.