European populists, the Kremlin and "Shaheds" in Poland: how is this connected
We can say as much as we want that the victories of populists in the West do not affect Moscow's decision to expand its aggression and other authoritarian leaders to become more brazen, but reality has once again demonstrated that there is a direct link between these phenomena.
Populists can be elected only in a divided and weakened country, where aggravation of conflicts between different segments of society is a necessary precondition for them to come to power. After all, the very essence of populism is to construct the myth of the oppressed "us" and the evil and insidious "them.".
Against this backdrop, real problems and enemies, which are difficult and complicated to confront, give way to these imaginary constructs, which are much easier to paralyze and build support on. And modern social networks are becoming a kind of steroids for "hate mongers" who are working to polarize society to perfection.
It is not surprising that Russia supports such populists with the full force of its propaganda machine. In their rhetoric, such politicians, if they do not deny Russian aggression, necessarily downplay its role, especially against the backdrop of the "threat" from imaginary internal enemies.
This is a natural alliance where some want power at any cost and need masses angry at each other to achieve it, while others want to split the countries they hate and brainwash these masses to achieve their goals.
For this alliance, populists do not have to be direct agents of the Kremlin. It's just that up to a certain point, your goals coincide, and you just need to convince yourself not to realize it and to adopt a kind of unspoken "non-aggression agreement" with your situational ally.
However, when the populists' goal is achieved, this is only the first step for Russia. And at the same time, it is evidence that the country targeted by its special operation is finally weak enough to be capable of a decisive and cohesive response.
That's when it's time to run "Shaheds".
Comments