On February 24, 2022, as Russian tanks and troops rolled into Ukraine from the north, east and south, the fragile strands that held together the world system received a massive jolt. Underlying that action was a little-known but extensive intellectual discourse, the major proponent of which is a professor named Aleksandr Dugin. This is an example of how scholars influence thought patterns and change the course of history.

Who is Dugin? He is a political philosopher and strategist, often referred to as Putin’s brain. Criticizing America’s hegemony since the fall of the Soviet Union, Dugin advocates a multipolar world with many power centres. He envisions Russia leading a new Eurasian continent, from Dublin to Vladivostok, equipped to challenge America and its satanic world view. His book, The Foundations of Geopolitics, is very influential. It is part of the syllabus of the Academy of the General Staff of the Russian military. Vadimir Putin is a faithful disciple of Dugin and continues to drink from his fountain of knowledge.

In February 2012, the Kremlin invited Dugin to speak at its Anti-Orange Rally in Moscow. He opened his address as follows:

“Dear Russian people! The global American empire strives to bring all countries of the world together under its control. They intervene where they want, asking no one’s permission. They come in through the fifth column, which they think will allow them to take over natural resources and rule over countries, people, and continents. They have invaded Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Iran are on the agenda. But their goal is Russia. We are the last obstacle on their way to building a global evil empire.”

What we see unfolding in Ukraine is in a sense the result of a narrative originally crafted not by Putin but by a university professor. Today, at least 10,000 Russian mothers have lost their sons, at least 3,000 Ukrainians have died, and at least 5 million people have become refugees. Hardly any of them ever heard of Aleksandr Dugin.

As the bombs continue to rain on Ukraine, as Russian youths are mindlessly sent to their deaths, as millions of refugees continue to stream across borders, let us pray for peace and let us also reflect on our roles as Christian scholars in our various countries. We must be careful not to hand over the social and cultural narratives to politicians and ideologues. Of course, many of us may agree that a multipolar world is geopolitically desirable, but we must draw the line between responsible scholarship and the promotion of divisiveness and war-mongering negative sentiments. Let us watch, pray and shine the light of Christ in our disciplines and countries.