Vladimir Bebeh: Why do we need ideology?

In this article, I will continue the story about the anniversary, XX International Forum “Partnership of State, Business and Civil Society in Ensuring International Information Security” (Forum), which was held in Moscow at the Diplomatic Academy of MGIMO of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The Forum is organized by the National Association for International Information Security (NAMIB) with the assistance of the Russian Security Council and the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Among the round tables, which took part at the invitation of NAMIB, there was a platform with the declared theme “Actual problems of preserving traditional spiritual and moral values in the global information space”.

The issues that many participants raised in their speeches in one way or another concerned not only Presidential Decree No. 809 “On Approval of the Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values”, but also, in my opinion, an important topic of the lack of a clear ideology in our country.

Article 13 of the Russian Constitution allows for ideological diversity. I have already expressed my position on this issue.

I would like to remind you that sooner or later Russia would face a fork in the road: either it would be necessary to integrate into a kind of neo-capitalism with elements of the welfare state, or create a new economic formation with the dominance of state corporations and elements of permitted entrepreneurship (farming, self-employment, etc.), and perhaps, as in Russian epics, we will have a third way.

Recent years have shown that we are drifting on the second option, but the lack of new ideas, the so-called “image of the future” of the country, brings us back, in my opinion, to the question of formulating a new basic idea of Russia’s development.

At the Forum, this topic was raised by the famous actor, director Nikolai Burlyaev. He urged not to be afraid of the word “ideology”, especially since its etymology goes back to the Greek “science of ideas”. New ideas are what the country needs today, from Burlyaev’s point of view.

He was supported in this matter by the documentary filmmaker Rentv Igor Prokopenko and the representative of the military department, in the opinion of which, ideology will motivate soldiers on the front lines of the military.

Do not be afraid of the word “ideology”. I understand that many people associate this issue with Russia’s socialist past. My conviction is that we do not need to build the USSR 2.0 or 3.0, but, taking the best of the past, go into the future with new ideas and the formulation of what we want to see a renewed Russia.

Today we are confronted by a strong ideology and bright ideas that the conventional West effectively promotes on the internal and external contours. I believe that in order to survive in our statehood, we need not only the courage of the defenders of the Fatherland, but also a solid foundation of ideology. It will also allow us to “push back” to push the country forward.

Undoubtedly, the existence of such components as equality of all citizens before the law, the fight against corruption and other important aspects of the future are implied a priori.

Based on the Forum.

The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.