The former Russian US and Canada Institute Director, Valery Garbuzov, was fired two days after publishing a scathing article in Nezavisimaya Gazeta, where he strongly criticized the Kremlin’s approach to foreign affairs. The sharpness of his critique has sparked concerns about potential repercussions, highlighting the possibility of him needing to relocate overseas.
Former Russian US and Canada Institute Director Raises Concerns Regarding the Kremlin’s Response to Critical Evaluation of its Foreign Policy Approach
According to an article published by Window On Eurasia, Valery Garbuzov, Russian US and Canada Institute Director, who previously led the Institute of the USA and Canada at the Russian Academy of Sciences, was abruptly fired just two days after he penned a searing critique of the Kremlin’s foreign policy in Nezavisimaya Gazeta. In his article, he exposed the Kremlin’s reliance on utopian myths and took aim at its propagation of anti-Western narratives. The sharpness of the former Russian US and Canada Institute Director criticism has raised concerns about potential repercussions for Garbuzov, casting doubt on his future within Russia unless he manages to secure a move abroad.
Former Russian US and Canada Institute Director Garbuzov’s analysis delved into the historical pattern where authoritarian regimes craft utopian narratives and spread them among the population to consolidate power. He applied this pattern to Russian history, particularly the Cold War era, highlighting the Soviet leadership’s misconceptions about their system’s strength and capitalism’s weaknesses. By emphasizing the Soviet regime’s resistance to change compared to capitalism’s adaptability, he shed light on the systemic differences that played a pivotal role in their outcomes.
Additionally, Garbuzov, Former Russian US and Canada Institute Director, underscored the creation of contemporary utopian narratives in Moscow, fueled by anti-Western sentiments and propagated by a new generation of well-paid political manipulators and television personalities. These narratives included notions of a global crisis, an imagined anti-colonial revolution, the waning of American dominance, and the decay of the Western world—themes reminiscent of Soviet-era propaganda.
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More Details About Former Russian US and Canada Institute Director’s Analysis of State-Propagated Myths and Their Impact on Russian Society
According to an article from Meduza, Valery Garbuzov, the former Russian US and Canada Institute Director, asserts that the Russian authorities propagate falsehoods through a state-controlled propaganda system, involving highly paid political manipulators and participants in televised discussions. These fabricated narratives encompass notions of a worldwide crisis in globalization and the “Anglo-Saxon” sphere, predictions of impending anti-colonial revolutions, claims of American decline, anticipations of a global anti-American uprising, and forecasts of the Western world’s downfall.
As per the former Russian US and Canada Institute Director, the explicit aim behind these myths is to engulf Russian society in a realm of illusions, fortified by rhetoric that emphasizes national power and patriotism. This serves as a deliberate strategy to maintain an enduring hold on power, regardless of the costs involved, safeguarding the wealth and political authority of the present ruling elite, closely entwined with the oligarchy.
While state-controlled media outlets criticized Garbuzov’s publication, it remains unclear whether his dismissal is directly linked to the column. The U.S. and Canada Studies Institute, where Garbuzov previously held the directorship, has not provided any responses to inquiries concerning this situation.
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