Russia's World Order: How Civilizationism Explains the Conflict with the West

by Paul Robinson

The first Cold War was a struggle between capitalism and communism; most Western politicians and policymakers imagine the new one to be a struggle between democracy and autocracy. Russia's World Order explains that in Russian eyes, the conflict is about something very it is a fight between two incompatible visions of where history is leading.

Russia's World Order describes the civilizational theory that has come to dominate Russian official discourse, and that has come to dominate Russian official discourse and that is being used to justify its clashes with the West. Whereas the West promotes a vision of history that drives all nations toward convergence on a single model, Russia's political leaders increasingly portray the world as consisting of numerous distinct civilizations, each diverging toward its own destination. The Russian state portrays itself as defending the right of all civilizations to chart their own independent path and is having some success in using this logic to win allies.

Paul Robinson recounts how ideas of inevitable convergence once dominated Russian thought as well but were gradually pushed out by civilizational theories. He outlines where these theories came from, what they propose, and how they became popular. Russia's World Order thereby reveals the true nature of today's New Cold War.

Genres: Politics, Russia

168 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2025

About the author

Paul Robinson is a highly regarded keynote speaker and accomplished author of numerous books and audio books. Over the past 15 years, he has delivered speeches to over 500,000 executives from more than 350 companies across the globe. His expertise lies in the areas of human potential development, leadership, sales, and innovation. Some of his notable works have even been adapted into inspirational documentary films.
Know more: www.paulrobinson.in

Reviews

[George Crofts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Russian political elite has replaced dialectic materialism with “civilization theory”. Civilization theory states that different cultures or civilizations each have their own set of rules; and shouldn’t be judged by Western standards.

Civilization theory has been around for a long time. It was proposed by (economist, naturalist) Nikolai Danilevsky the 19th century.

Civilization theory provides a convenient cover, for Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine. It is also popular with third world countries of the global South.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

great overview of the diversity of Russian civilizationalist thought — Dugin is just a small part! the author’s explicit attempt to be objective and not impart judgment is a breath of fresh air and respects the reader. essential reading for those trying to understand Russian political and international thinking today.

[Jason S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book that helps to place the "civilizations theory" at the center of Russia's current view of its place in the world in relation to the west. Helps to get some background on what Russia feels threatened by liberalism in the West and views its role as an alternative. Dense in spots but well researched and organized.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at how philosophy explains and informs cultures / societies and their interaction with other peoples. Some deep thinking here but a quick and great read.