In his report, Dugin describes a closed meeting of the French association "Civisme Défense Armée Nation" (Citizenship, Defense, Army, Nation, CiDAN) that took place at the Klingenthal castle near Strasbourg on 2-5 December 2013. CiDAN was established in 1999 by Admiral Pierre Lacoste, and, as they describe themselves, the association is guided by the "modern vision of patriotism and Europe", and promotes "devotion to the community" and contacts between civil society and the military. Its leadership largely consists of retired or reserve officers, and its president is Lieutenant Colonel Jacques Sonnet.
According to Dugin, the following themes were discussed at the meeting:
1. Preparations for a new French military intervention in one of the African countries, and the condition of the French military in Mali.
2. European interests in Syria. Dugin says that the discussants cautiously supported Russian president Vladimir Putin and cautiously criticised the US and French president François Hollande.
3. Russia and the Eurasian Union. Reports presented by Dugin and Michel Grimard of the Rassemblement pour l'Organisation de l'Unité Européenne (Rally for the Oranisation of the European Unity) who supported the Eurasian Union.
4. China and the US: cyber warfare, strategy, likelihood of conflict.
5. Organised crime, mafia and terrorism in Europe.
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| Aleksandr Dugin (second from the right), speaking at the conference "La Voie Eurasiste" (The Eurasian way) in Paris, 25 May 2013 |
Dugin stresses that "the French military are highly critical towards the US, NATO and the policies of Hollande and [Nicolas] Sarkozy". In Putin and Russia they allegedly see "an exemplary defence of sovereignty". According to Dugin, they are ready to cooperate with Russia and his neo-Eurasianist movement, "in which they see the leading intellectual force" of Russia. Dugin concludes that the organising committee of CiDAN is led by people of "anti-Atlanticist, anti-American and partially pro-Russian orientation".
In your view, does Dugin have any actual influence on the formation of Russian Federation foreign/domestic policy, or is he simply used by the current administration in Russia?
ReplyDeleteHe is an important ideologue belonging to one of the groups that compete with each over the influence on Putin and Russian foreign policy.
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