The author argues that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s opposition to liberalism is "less an expression of his deeply held convictions than a tactical device." He asserts that Putin's claim that liberalism has “outlived its usefulness” is a tool for fostering "transactional relationships with people who hold similar views." Although Putin is certainly an authoritarian, "he’s not far-right or alt-right." Rather, Putin sees the European and American far-right as "his natural allies against the established global order." The author links these beliefs to Putin's larger effort "to keep any talk of values out of international politics and forge pragmatic relationships based on specific interests." He concludes that "Putin’s drive to put global politics on a more transactional basis isn’t easy to defeat; it’s a siren song, and the anti-immigrant, culturally conservative rhetoric is merely part of the music."

Read the full article at Bloomberg.

Photo by the Office of the President of the Russian Federation shared under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0