Anyone know much about Putin's religious mentor

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. I've seen Dugin mentioned a fair amount on DU

He has his theories about what Russia should do, but how much they guide Russian policy, I'm not so sure. They may provide a comforting pretense of academic foundations for Putin, but I think Putin drives things much more by pragmatism - what works for him in practice, at any one time, than from a long-term ideology.

For instance, money rules in Russia, above all. Having Orthodox support is useful for Putin, and nationalism, but I don't think Dugin's ideas are based on an oligarchy, which is what controls Russia now. Putin's Russia is the Republican party on steroids. And that's why so many Republicans have learned to love Putin. They grow up equating money and success, and then want the whole world to be based around giving power to the people with the most money. They chose Trump on that basis, and ignored all the Christian moralising they had claimed was central to their character. And if Trump says Putin is their kind of oligarch, that's good enough for them.