Russia’s Emergence as an International Conservative Power

Since Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency in 2012 it has become common to talk of a "conservative turn" in Russian politics. Various commentators argue that this ideological shift applies to external as well as internal politics, with Russia becoming an international conservative power. This article seeks to determine what being an "international conservative power" actually means for Russia, by means of an examination of four different variations of Russian conservatism-Orthodox/Slavophile conservatism, civilizational conservatism, isolationist conservatism, and state/official conservatism. It argues that these are not all fully compatible with each other. If Russia truly is emerging as a conservative international power, this could lead both Russia and the world in one of several different directions, depending on which version of conservatism comes to dominate. Overall, though, it seems likely that the result will be a pragmatic, moderate RUSSIA IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS 10 Russia's Emergence as an International Conservative Power variety of conservatism rather than the more radical versions associated with conservative ideologists.