The Zeitenwende and the Nazi Sources of Russian Actions
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Abstract
Before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin had hoped that Germany would stay militarily neutral, counting on Germany's politicians, who had previously expressed understanding for Russia's belligerent actions. Putin did not expect a tectonic change in Germany's foreign and defense policy initiated by the government of Olaf Scholz in response to his war on Ukraine (Zeitenwende). Meanwhile, the Kremlin borrows directly from Nazism in the theoretical justification of its actions, especially from two German scholars: Carl Schmitt and Karl Haushofer.
Contributor Notes
Peter Eltsov is professor of international security at the National Defense University. He has conducted research throughout Eurasia, and published in anthropology, philology, and international affairs—both in academic and mainstream venues. In his current research, Eltsov is particularly interested in the ways in which competing interpretations of the past affect identity politics during conflict and war. Email: peter.eltsov.civ@ndu.edu