Low nuclear!

Another stopped being afraid and fell in love with a nuclear bomb: how Liberal Sergei Karaganov came to the idea of ​​destroying the West

Political scientist, economist and supervisor of the faculty of world economics and world policy of the Higher School of Economics, Sergei Karaganov, published the article “A difficult but necessary decision”. In it, he scolds the West, praises China, and also calls to hit with nuclear weapons "in a group of goals in a number of countries to bring the mind to the sense of mind." Read about how a system liberal from the 90s became a promoter-cereal, read in the material of Novaya Gazeta Europe.

About nuclear weapons

“The emergence of nuclear weapons is the result of the intervention of the Almighty, who was horrified to see that the people, Europeans and the Japanese joined them, untied the two world wars for one generation, who carried away tens of millions of lives, and handed over to Magor's weapons of Armageddon, showed the fear that he exists,” he writes about nuclear weapons.

By itself, the idea that nuclear weapons are a gift of God is not new to Him.

He said so in 2017. Moreover, back in 2006, Karaganov wrote that nuclear weapons have a "civilizing effect on the elites of the countries that they possess."

In his last article, Karaganov calls for the escalation of the risk of nuclear weapons. In his opinion, such a threat should return to mankind fear that will retain from this very application. Moreover, Karaganov believes that with the help of nuclear blackmail, Russia will be able to force Western countries to abandon the support of Ukraine.

To the question "What if not?" The political scientist answers unequivocally: in this case, nuclear weapons will have to be applied.

“This is a morally terrible choice - we use the weapon of God, doizing ourselves on heavy spiritual losses. But if this is not done, not only Russia can die, but most likely all human civilization will end, ”he writes.

The future of Russia, after the use of nuclear weapons, Karaganov sees it bright: in his opinion, if the United States is scared in this way, in the future it will be possible to build a “multipolar, multiplayed, multi -color” world.

The thought “you need to use nuclear weapons to avoid nuclear apocalypse” does not seem contradictory Karaganov. “Many times I spoke and wrote that if you correctly build a strategy for intimidation and even application, the risk of“ response ”nuclear, and any other blow to our territory can be minimized,” he says. But Karaganov does not give a clear explanation of how to do this in this article.

Who is Karaganov?

Sergei Karaganov was born into the family of the secretary of the Union of Cinematographers of the USSR Alexander Karaganov and the former wife of the poet Evgeny Dolmatovsky Sophia. Karaganov Jr. graduated from Moscow State University, after which he went on an internship in the United States for several years. After returning to the USSR, he first worked at the Institute of USA and Canada at the Academy of Sciences, then at the European Institute.

In the 90s, Karaganov began his political career. Since 1989, he was an expert at the Committee on International Relations of the Supreme Council of the USSR, in 1992 he became one of the initiators of the creation, and later the head of the Council on foreign and defense policy (swap).

Swap is one of the most important milestones in Karaganov’s career. This is a public association, which includes politicians, representatives of law enforcement agencies, business circles and the media, scientists. In particular, now his members are the political scientist and dean of the faculty of television of Moscow State University Vitaliy Tretyakov, political scientist and vice -rector of MGIMO Evgeny Kozhokin, adviser to the President of Rosneft and former intelligence officer Andrei Bezrukov, deputy chairman of the Committee on International Affairs Vyacheslav Nikonov, author and host of the International Review program Fedor Lukyanov and other public people who are openly open Praise the current power.

The most important projects of the swap are the scientific journal “Russia in global policy” (in the corresponding circles it is considered respectable) and the Valdai discussion club, in which Vladimir Putin regularly takes part.

In addition, Karaganov since 2001 has been an adviser to the deputy head of the Presidential Administration for foreign policy. In other words, Karaganov since the beginning of the 90s is conditionally "close to power." The publicist Sergei Kara-Murza in his book “Soviet Civilization” even called him “shadow political scientist”.

In fact, such a title is awarded to so many political commentators, whose ideas coincide with a common course of authorities (for example, Alexander Dugin and now the deceased Gleb Pavlovsky). Nevertheless, it is impossible to underestimate the meaning of Karaganov as one of the most famous propagandists. He regularly writes articles in which he promotes pro-government ideas, gives comments to the Russian state-owned state, and is also a frequent guest in the political talk show of the channel of the TVC “Right to Know”.

In October 2022, the International Working Group on Sanctions (“Ermak -Makfol group”) invited all democratic countries to impose the same sanctions against 166 Russian propagandists. Karaganov also got into the list. The group’s appeal said that these people create theoretical justifications for the war in Ukraine, but at the same time remain in the shade, and therefore were able to avoid the consequences.

In January 2023, Karaganov was on the sanctions list of Ukraine, in February - on the black list of Canada, but the United States and the European Union did not impose sanctions on it.

Turn from west to east

In the 1990s and even the 2000s, Karaganov was considered one of the main system liberals. In particular, he actively worried about the rapprochement of Russia with Europe, the USA and NATO. In 1994, he issued an article in which he argued that Russia should fight with Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary for joining NATO.

In the 2000s, when the relations of Russia and the West began to gradually cool, Karaganov released many articles on how to achieve European integration of the Russian Federation. For example, in 2005, he wrote a detailed commentary on the report of the US National Intelligence Council (BCP) "Drawing a global future." The report itself said that Russia is not attributed to the great powers of the future, and the most likely scenario of its development is seen by the transition to the authoritarian regime. Karaganov such a forecast seemed unpleasant. "I would like to refute it."

“We need to do everything possible so that the prognosis of the BBS in relation to Russia does not come true, and we would not be pushed to the group of backward authoritarian powers and turned into their shepherd in exchange for a policy of soft deterrent, scarce praise from the west. If we do not break out of the authoritarian-stagnation swamp, then we are subject to the role of a useful vassal, but not an equal partner, a great power. The choice is for us, ”wrote Karaganov.

Another odious Russian politician who was also awarded the title of “ideologist of the Kremlin”, Alexander Dugin, called the Karaganovsky swap structure of the American Coumentsil on Foreign Relations ( CFR is a membership, which includes civil servants, business managers, journalists and other persons. events .

“In the 90s, the majority of the current patriotic political scientists-and Pushkov, Zatulin, and Rogozin passed through the structure of the Karaganov swap. Everyone who is perceived as patriots in fact, in fact passed through the swap <...> our elite is penetrated through the network and is controlled by her, ”said Dugin. In his opinion, swap was needed so that the Americans could “whisper” their ideas to the Russian government.

It is not known whether his words of reality correspond to or is it just invention, but Dugin’s statement indicates that Karaganov caused hostility in ultra-patriots to his “liberal” position.

However, this position was actually never opposed and has always been very conveniently adapted to the course chosen by the Russian authorities.

In the 2010s, when relations with the West became even more tense, Karaganov gradually abandoned the ideas of European integration and began to maintain establishing relations with China. He proposed to transfer the capital of the Russian Federation to Vladivostok and reorient the economic markets of the East of Russia to China.

In his last article, Karaganov calls China a friend of Russia, and writes about Chinese-Russian relations with the same trepidation with whom he once wrote about the Russian-European ones. He hopes that after the end of the war in Ukraine, Russia will be able to take a place "behind China, as he is now standing behind ours, supporting him in a fight with the United States."

“Then this fight can do without a big war,” he said. “And together we will win for the good of everyone, including residents of Western countries.”