Boris Makarenko: There is no need to exaggerate the danger

On January 20, 2005, the Open Economy website published an interview with the deputy head of the Center for Political Technologies, Boris Makarenko, dedicated to the problem of the growth of nationalist sentiments among Russians.

Assessing the data of numerous sociological surveys, B. Makarenko says that the danger of the spread of nationalism in Russia should not be exaggerated: “For a society that has gone through such transformations, this nationalism is very moderate.” He believes that after the collapse of the socialist bloc, Russia was the only state where the national idea or nationalism (? - ed. ) did not become a significant or dominant factor. And in the current conditions, in his opinion, “Russian nationalism is quite moderate in nature.” In addition, “the majority of society is characterized by very high national and religious tolerance. A person may have nationalist beliefs, he may put his nation and his faith above others, but at the same time, the Russian fears that raising themes of national or religious superiority will explode the fragile national peace " .

However, B. Makarenko emphasizes that ethnic crises occur not thanks to the majority, which is almost everywhere and always tolerant, but to the minority. And this danger cannot be downplayed. Moreover, recently a breeding ground for the existence of this minority has appeared in the form of an isolationist and anti-Western foreign policy course: “Anti-Western rhetoric is now inherent in many of our politicians, including the head of state - and this provokes xenophobia, the search for an enemy in society itself.” .

In addition, “the state encourages parties and movements that have either a nationalist or a radical flavor (from Motherland to “Walking Together”).” At the same time , “tension arises primarily where the image of the enemy is presented crudely and visibly - where people come into contact with an ethnic element perceived as alien” - in particular, the Russian regions adjacent to the North Caucasus, primarily Kuban, Krasnodar and Stavropol region (compare with the opinion of Natalya Zubarevich ).

Speaking about potential supporters of radical nationalism, B. Makarenko notes the following. If the radicalism of youth is an age trait, then the most difficult category in this sense is “middle-aged men with low social status.” For them, radical nationalism is a reaction to their own ill-being, which forces them to look for an enemy and encourages them to settle scores with this enemy.

Sources

• Boris Makarenko: Russian nationalism is unique // Open Economy. 2004. January 20.