Russian President Vladimir Putin is creating his own model of a just society and efficient economy. It marries political mobilization and emotional demobilization, alternates between talk of war and peace, and offers massive assistance to those working “for victory.” To borrow terms coined by the German-American philosopher Herbert Marcuse, Putin is at once engaged in the construction of a warfare state and a welfare state . His promise to Russians is that for the next six years, the beneficiaries of his regime’s largesse will be those parts of society directly linked to the war in Ukraine. Those opposed to the war are to be cut out of the social contract, as are top taxpayers, who are set to pay even more under the new model.
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- United States of America
