Members of the Eurasian Youth Union demonstrate in favor of the policies of Ivan the Terrible. The former Russian tsar is also featured prominently on
the group’s website
The short political program of The Eurasian Youth Union, presented below, perhaps belies the depth and breadth of Eurasianism’s body of philosophy.
The Eurasianists are most often grouped with Russian nationalists and considered as a fringe group of Russian politics. However, as Robert Legvold, a professor emeritus at Columbia University and former director of the Harriman Institute has said, Eurasianism is “a subject crucial to understanding today’s Russia but never given proper due.” Arguments based on the philosophy’s principles are increasingly used by Russian politicians and intellectuals to form and support Russian foreign and domestic policies. Eurasianism is also increasingly popular with college-aged Russians and has supporters throughout the former Soviet space and elsewhere, notably in Turkey.
Eurasianism has roots stretching back to the Slavophiles who argued that Russia was inherently not a western or eastern civilization and that Russia should be developed based on Russian – and particularly on non-Western – principles. Eurasianism began as movement, however, in the early 20th century with Russian émigrés who believed that the new Bolshevik government would fail, making way for a new, strong state based on Russian and particularly on Russian Orthodox values.
Modern Eurasianism, sometimes referred to as Neo-Eurasianism, is a product of many post-Soviet thinkers, as can be seen in the many, highly-active and often multilingual websites devoted to it. These include those run by the Eurasian Youth Union, The International Eurasian Movement, The Eurasian Portal for Information and Analysis, and an exceptionally large YouTube presence.
The most influential of Russia’s Eurasianist activists and thinkers, however, is undoubtedly Alexander Dugin. Dugin, is a former member of the nationalist group Pamyat, which bills itself as a “People’s National Patriotic Orthodox Christian Movement” that sought to preserve Russian culture from a perceived Masonic/Zionist/Western threat. Dugin was also, however, one of the authors of the original political platform of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation when that party was formed as a successor to the banned Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
A subtitled YouTube playlist of Alexander Dugin discussing several aspects of Russian history and modern geopolitics.Tran
Dugin’s major body of work centers on what he calls “The Fourth Political Theory.” This work-in-progress postulates that world governments have heretofore been formulated around three political theories: liberal democracy, communism, and fascism. Dugin argues that, in the contemporary world, liberal democracy, as championed by “Atlanticist” forces has become dangerously dominant. Dugin argues that this threatens to homogenize the world, stamping out minority cultures and philosophies in favor of those seen as objectively moral under Atlanticist thought. This, however, the argument continues, will cause minority cultures to rebel against western forces of globalization and make way for a new, Fourth Political Theory, which will draw from the “ruins” of the first three.
The Eursianists’ profile has grown under the political protests of 2011/2012, as they have actively counter-protested against them. The Eurasianists see these protests as being predominantly driven by an untenable union of two groups they oppose most: fascists and western-oriented liberals.
Thus, the political program of the Eurasianist Youth Union, presented below in a new translation by SRAS.org, can be seen as a short, radical, and fiery expression of Dugin’s thought. The young Eurasianists would establish a new Eurasian empire wherein all cultures would be given the powers of local government to maintain their own laws and enforce their own values. To achieve this, they must fight against primarily the US, against liberals in Russia, and against a host of other enemies including “incompetent bureaucrats” and the “debased media.”
As the Russian political scene continues to evolve, and particularly as Eurasianist thought finds expression in Russian policy goals such as Vladimir Putin’s proposed Eurasian Union, understanding Eurasianism will become increasingly important to understanding Russia and in formulating effective policies towards it.
| Программа Евразийского Союза Молодежи | Eurasian Youth Union Party Program |
| Американский враг | The American Enemy |
| Американцы строят свою мировую империю, где нам нет места. В ней нет места ни Великой Европе, ни Свободной Азии. Нет места русским, немцам, французам, тюркам, китайцам. Это империя Нового Карфагена, где царствует убийца Молох – процентное рабство, плутократия, всевластие спекулятивных капиталов, догматы упадка и разложения, гадкая мораль наживы и вырождения. | The Americans are building a world empire within which we don’t belong. Neither mighty Europe nor free Asia will have a place within this empire; it does not welcome the Russian, German, French, Turkish, or Chinese peoples. America itself is the empire of New Carthage, bowing to the murderous Moloch,[1] with its foundations in slavery, plutocracy, the omnipotence of speculative capital, the dogmas of decadence and corruption, moral degeneration, and unfettered greed. |
| У нас отнимают прошлое, лишают будущего. Мы согнуты как пружина, и нас хотят вырвать с корнем из нашей родной земли. | They are consuming our past and robbing us of the future. We are being twisted and crushed. They wish to uproot us from our native land. |
| Надеяться не на кого. Власть растеряна и слаба. Враг силен и коварен. | We must trust no one in our task. Our government is confused and weak. The enemy is strong and cunning. |
| Сегодня разлагается под мягкими стратегиями глобализма не только Евразия, но мировой дух. | Today not only Eurasia but the whole world is rotting away under the influence of globalism’s soft strategies. |
| Так не пойдет, мы призваны стать последним бастионом. Если не мы, то никто. | This cannot be allowed. We have been called to act as the final bastion against this trend. If not us, then no one will stand against it. |
| Молодежь Евразии – финальная надежда | The Eurasian Youth are the last hope. |
| Мы, молодежь Евразии, – финальная надежда страны, континента. Всеобщая мобилизация объявлена, на кону — свобода Отечества, само существование Великой России. Враг подступает к границам вплотную. Он вовне, он внутри. | We, the youth of Eurasia, are the last hope not only of the country, but of the entire continent. A general mobilization has been declared. At stake are the freedom of the Fatherland and the very existence of Great Russia. The enemy approaches the edges of our borders; he is outside, and he is already inside. |
| Чтобы дать отпор внешнему врагу, надо разделаться с внутренним. Внутренний враг – сторонники США, глобалисты, ворье, идиоты-чиновники, опустившиеся телевизионщики, спящие обыватели, конформисты всех мастей. Это резидентура внешнего врага, и именно она не дает стране собраться с духом и дать последний бой. | In order to repel the external enemy, we must first deal with the internal one. Our internal enemies are the followers of the USA, globalists, dirty thieves, idiotic bureaucrats, debased media workers, the sleeping masses, and conformists of all kinds. The enemy’s residence within our borders prevents us from gathering our strength for the final battle. |
| Великая Чистка | The Great Cleansing |
| Мы пришли, чтобы провозгласить эпоху Великой Чистки. Наша цель создать новую армию – армию Евразии. Мы готовы творить Евразийскую Революцию. | We have come to announce the age of the Great Cleansing. Our objective is to establish a new army – the Eurasian Army. We are ready to orchestrate the Eurasian Revolution. |
| Мы носители воли и молнии, дети древних народов материка – славян, арийцев, тюрок, финнов, угров, монголов, палеоазиатов, кавказцев. Нас всех приговорили архитекторы «всемирного Макдонольдса», наши священные земли и рощи, храмы и города уже скуплены и заложены. У нас нет будущего – нам светит рабство у новых хозяев мира – в мягком концлагере «золотого миллиарда». | We have inherited the fire and will of our forefathers, the ancient peoples of our continent – the Slavs, Aryans, Turks, Finns, Ugric, Mongol, Paleo-Asiatic, and Caucasian peoples. Our enemy sentenced us to be the architects of a “Global McDonald’s,” our sacred lands and groves, temples and cities have already been bought up and incorporated. There is no future for us in slavery to the new masters of the world, in the soft concentration camps of the “golden billion.”[2] |
| Мы поднимаемся, чтобы взять власть над своей судьбой в свои руки. | We rise up to take our future into our own hands. |
| Мертвые и Революция | The Revolution and the Dead |
| В крови нашей растворены наши мертвые, созидавшие древние империи Евразии, крушившие врагов миллионами, не щадившие ни себя, ни других во имя великой цели. Сегодня нам говорят, что эти океаны красной крови были пущены напрасно, что жить, пресмыкаясь на животе, уютнее и разумнее. Это выбор рептилий. Наш выбор — вертикальная походка господина, носителя великой воли. | In our veins flows the blood of our ancestors; the ones who built Eurasia’s ancient empires, crushed enemies by the millions, and spared neither themselves nor others for the sake of their great purpose. Today we are told that this blood was spilled in vain, and that it is more comfortable and reasonable for us to live passively, merely groveling on our stomachs like lowly reptiles. We choose to walk tall, as the masters of our own great destiny. |
| Наш выбор – Евразийская Революция. Наш удел – багряный восход. Наша судьба – праздник одухотворенной плоти, брачный союз ума и воли. | We choose the Eurasian Revolution. A crimson sunrise is our destiny. And our fate is a celebration of the spiritual flesh, a marriage of the mind and will. |
| Только пробужденный от сна свободный и могучий воин способен сегодня народить новых детей для Отечества. Только здоровая сильная уверенная в себе и своем народе женщина вскормит настоящее поколение – многочисленное, сытое и буйное, способное восстановить нашу планетарную мощь. | Only a free and mighty warrior who has been awakened from his slumber is capable of bringing new children into the Fatherland. Only a strong, healthy, self-assured and patriotic woman can nurture our present generation to be numerous, well-fed, and revolutionary. Such a generation will be able to reestablish us as a world power. |
| Наша цель – Империя | Empire is our objective |
| Наша цель – Евразийская Империя. В ней найдется место всем народам и культурам. Но править в ней будут мудрейшие и сильнейшие, и отбор будет безжалостным. | Our objective is a Eurasian Empire. Within this empire, all nations and cultures will find their place. Selection among leaders will be ruthless, only the strongest and wisest will lead the Empire. |
| Наша этика – смерть лучше позора. Не можешь быть сильным, лучше не будь вообще. | Our belief is that death is better than living in shame. If one cannot be strong, it is better to not exist at all. |
| Наш стиль – верность корням и бросок в будущее – по ту сторону запретов. Дерзко, но с опорой на сокровище предков. | Our lives are lived true to our roots and thrust into the future, away from what has been prohibited. We live bold lives based on the most precious values of our ancestors. |
| Мы предадим героев древности, великих имперостроителей Евразии, если не создадим еще нечто более великое, чем они. И лишь когда мы распластаем границы от океана до океана, глаза наших мертвых окрасятся тихим прозрачным светом: они – наши потомки — сделали это! Иначе мертвые нас в покое не оставят. | It would be a betrayal of the heroes of antiquity, those great empire-builders of Eurasia, if we did not surpass their legacy. And only when we have spread our boundaries from ocean to ocean, will the eyes of our dead ancestors glow with a soft, transparent light – we, their ancestors, will have fulfilled their legacy! Our ancestors will not let us rest until we accomplish our goal. |
| Лучшая доля | The Greatest Fate |
| У вас есть иная доля и иная дорога – юный путь в Евразийскую Революцию. Евразийская Революция даст вам смысл, сделает вас ценными. В ней вы получите мандат на бытие, содержательность, перспективу, достоинство и брак. Подобное тянятся к подобному, и в евразийских зонах мы сосредоточим лучшее и самое необходимое: мы научим вас истине, сделаем умными, сильными и красивыми, покажем место в ряду избранников рода, обеспечим путь наверх. | You have a different fate and a different road – the youthful path to the Eurasian Revolution. The Eurasian Revolution will give you purpose and make you valued. You will find a reason for being, a more substantial life, a new perspective, dignity and family. Like minds are drawn together naturally, and we will bring together the best and most needed of those in the Eurasian zones: We will teach you the truth; you will become intelligent, strong, and beautiful; you will be shown your place among the chosen ones; and we will provide you with a path on which to rise. |
| Стране нужны новые люди, новые кадры, новые дети, новые силы. Веселые и беспощадные. | Our country needs new people, new workers, new children, and new power. It needs people who are joyous and merciless. |
| Это эскадроны Евразийской Революции. Для них мы объявляем евразийский набор – в «Евразийский Союз Молодежи». | These are the warriors of the Eurasian Revolution. We invite them to a Eurasian collective – the Eurasian Youth Union. |
[1] Child sacrifice has historically been associated with the worship of the pagan god Moloch in ancient Carthage. In literature, Moloch often signifies a costly sacrifice, especially when the sacrifice is made blindly, without questioning the power demanding it.
[2] The “golden billion” is a term employed in the Russian-speaking world in reference to the relatively wealthy inhabitants of the industrially developed world, or, stated otherwise, the West.
