Lhe regime of Vladimir Putin is based on several fundamental foundations. We must mention here fear, corruption, revanchism. But perhaps the key support of this regime is an omnipresent toxic cynicism.
Cynicism manifests itself literally in everything. From the beginning of Putin’s rule, our society cynically traded its freedom and civil rights for the guarantee of political stability and growth in consumption. The elites cynically agreed to let Putin have a monopoly on power in exchange for unlimited access to state resources. Propagandists, deputies, civil servants have enriched themselves in Russia through their anti-Western rhetoric, not depriving themselves of cynically acquiring real estate in the United States and Europe with the money received from the Kremlin.
Cynicism has always remained a key political tool for Putin, which he defined with the mocking smile that we know from the saying “who pays for the girl to dance with her”. He tried to apply the same tactics to his relations with Western politicians, using corruption schemes and personal enrichment mechanisms everywhere for his European counterparts, while trying to share the spheres with them. of influence in the world. And it must be admitted that he has achieved a certain success: we could cite a whole series of Western politicians whose loyalty has practically been bought by the Kremlin.
Imagination as an ally
Alexei Navalny represented a danger for Putin, above all because he proposed a fundamentally different policy to Russian society. Instead of vulgar cynicism, he demonstrated to his compatriots an idealistic dream.
Like Martin Luther King, Navalny made imagination his ally and made public his dream of a “Beautiful Russia of the future” [son slogan lors de l’élection présidentielle de 2018] ; of a country where all are equal before the law, where there is no room for corruption and social inequalities; of a country free and open to the world, of a country establishing friendly relations with its neighbors. From a country whose main value is the human being, their life and their dignity.
But for Navalny it wasn’t just a dream; he sincerely believed that such a Russia was possible. And his faith was so strong and so contagious that more and more people joined his dream and stood alongside him to work, dedicate their personal time and work to make this dream come true.
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