Source: Global Times
In the new version of the Russian National Security Strategy released recently, Moscow for the first time included "cultural security" in the core content of the national interest, proposing to "protect the traditional spiritual and moral values, culture and historical memory of Russia." "The move shows that Russia's view of national security has extended from traditional military security to the realm of culture and values."
Why did this adjustment be made? In the words of the Russian media, the West cannot take Russia in terms of military strength, but the West has picked up a "soft knife". Their attempts to falsify Russian and world history, distort historical truths and destroy historical memories have become more frequent. Those ill-intentioned forces have tried their best to incite inter-ethnic and sectarian conflicts within Russia in an attempt to weaken the Russian state subject. In this context, Russia has proposed the concept of "cultural sovereignty" and highlighted "cultural security".
First of all, the spirit and values of tradition are related to Russia's political stability.
As the soul of a country, mainstream values play a role in the overall integration of the spiritual value orientation and order maintenance and operation of the society. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, ideas such as Westernism, Eurasianism and Slavism once grew barbarically in Russia. The pluralism and fragmentation of values have complicated Russia's national identity, political instability, and rampant individualism.
When Putin came to power, he hoped that Russia would have an ideology that would unite the people's hearts and minds to the greatest extent. During his 20 years in power, the mainstream values of Russia have gradually formed, which is the Russian conservatism advocated by Putin. He quoted the famous Russian philosopher Berdyaev to explain contemporary Russian conservatism, "The meaning of conservatism is not to hinder forward and upward (development), but to hinder backward and downward (development), to prevent the emergence of chaos". The essence of Putin's conservatism is not to oppose progress, but to achieve pluralism and diversity of choices. He argues that the struggle for values is a different form of warfare than military warfare, and that ideological battles can also lead to the collapse and division of nations.
In recent years, the West has put constant pressure on Russia, which has posed a threat to Russian society. The new version of Russia's National Security Strategy argues that "Westernization" has put Russia in danger of losing its cultural identity; that Russia's "moral spirit and cultural and historical values are under attack by the United States and its allies, including some transnational institutions," and that some unfriendly countries are trying to use Russia's socio-economic problems to incite division. It can be seen that Russia has elevated the protection of traditional culture and moral spirit to an equally important position as maintaining security, with the purpose of preventing external forces from interfering in Russia's internal affairs, especially preventing the West from launching a new "color revolution".
Second, maintain traditional culture and historical memory, and relate to Russia's international image.
In recent years, some Western countries, led by the United States, have vigorously engaged in "memory politics" and have falsified history to belittle and denigrate the Soviet Union's contribution to World War II. For example, in May 2020, when the United States commemorated the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, it selectively "forgot" the Soviet Union, counting the victory in World War II as the credit of the United States and Britain. The Pentagon also issued a statement titled "Victory Day in Europe: Moments of Celebration and Reflection," declaring that World War II began with "Germany and the Soviet Union invading Poland" and defining the Soviet Union as the "initiator of the war." Some Eastern European countries even compared the Soviet Union to Nazi Germany, and regarded the Soviet Union's liberation of eastern and Central European countries as "aggression." The Czech Republic, Lithuania, Ukraine and other countries also demolished monuments to Soviet World War II generals. The moves sparked outrage in Russia, where Moscow criticized the West for attempting to obliterate the decisive contribution of the Soviet people in defeating the Nazis and ending the Holocaust.
Therefore, Russia's elevation of the protection of historical memory to the level of national security is to counter the "stigmatization" of Russia by some Western countries. To maintain traditional historical memory is to safeguard Russia's status as a great power and to safeguard Russia's international image.
Third, to maintain the security of culture and values is to oppose Western-centrism.
After the end of the Cold War, Western countries continued to sell Western values to other countries, preaching that Westernization is modernization and Westernization is democratization. On this basis, some well-known scholars in the United States have highlighted the superiority of Western Christian culture, and on this basis, the United States has begun to propagate the theory of "modernization = Westernization = Americanization", advocating that non-Western countries must take the road of Westernization and Americanization if they want to achieve modernization. The practical orientation of Western-centrism is mainly to infiltrate the non-Western world with the freedom, democracy, and human rights of Western capitalism as the core of the "universal values", which has become part of the long-term strategy of Western countries to carry out peaceful evolution and various forms of "color revolutions" in the non-Western world.
"Westernization" has also led to an increase in the influence of extreme liberalism and extreme individualism in Russia. Through various means, the West has constantly "marketed" absolutized individual freedom to Young Russians and promoted violent, extreme individualistic and hedonistic ideas that are contrary to Russian tradition, which has actually impacted the basic values of Russian society.
Fourth, Russia's protection of traditional values is a reflection on the "chaos" in the United States and some European countries.
The recent decade of populism in the developed west, the normalization of street violence and complex ethnic tensions have all demonstrated the importance of traditional values for social stability and national development. The new version of the Russian National Security Strategy points out that the imposition of dissident ideals and values and the implementation of reforms in the fields of education, science, culture, religion, language and information activities, without taking into account the historical traditions and experiences of previous generations, undermine political stability and the foundations of the State. The amendments to the Russian Constitution, approved in 2021, specifically emphasize supporting traditional family values and protecting the structure of marriage between men and women.
Overall, the new version of Russia's National Security Strategy reflects new changes in the international landscape, as well as Russia's emphasis on cultural security. Guaranteeing cultural security is to protect Russia's traditional values, to protect the stability and unity of Russian society, and to ensure the long-term stability of Russia's development path. (The author is a researcher at the Institute of Russian, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)