The role of ideology in political systems and international relations was often downplayed after the end of the Cold War. Today, ideology is back in a time of unfolding global polycrisis. Russia is leading the way with its “wartime Putinism”, an illiberal ideology transforming domestic politics and foreign policy. WARPUT is an interdisciplinary study of political text, talk, policy outcomes and ideological practices. It takes a three-level approach studying the macro (regime discourse and policies), meso (ideological laws), and micro (social practices and ideological mobilisation). The project uses open-source materials and sociological data to understand the nature of wartime Putinism. The project contributes to assessing Russia's potential future developmental paths, the reasons behind the global rise of illiberalism, and the extent to which Russia's trajectory is part of a broader global illiberal trend. The project is based at the Aleksanteri Institute in Helsinki.

2025

2029