Superpowers still need more Greatness: Similarities Between Dugin’s Russkiy Mir and MAGA’s America First

Similarities Between Dugin’s Russkiy Mir and MAGA’s America First:

1. Anti-Liberalism and Anti-Globalism Both ideologies reject liberal democracy, globalism, and the post-Cold War international order. Dugin’s "Fourth Political Theory" and MAGA’s "America First" position themselves as alternatives to what they see as a decadent, rootless liberalism that threatens traditional values and national identity [1,2,3].

2. Nationalism and Civilizational Identity

   • Russkiy Mir: Dugin’s vision is of a "Eurasian" civilization led by Russia, uniting all Russian-speaking peoples and those he considers part of the "Russian world," often through force [4,5,6].
   • MAGA/America First: The MAGA movement emphasizes American exceptionalism, often with a focus on restoring a mythic past where (white) Christian values dominated, and rejects multiculturalism and global institutions [1,3].

3. Conspiracy and Anti-Elitism Both movements thrive on conspiracy theories—Dugin’s claims of a Western plot to destroy Russia and MAGA’s "deep state" narratives. They portray their countries as victims of shadowy elites who seek to undermine national sovereignty and traditional culture [1,2].

4. Authoritarian Tendencies Both ideologies are comfortable with strongman leadership and authoritarian governance. Dugin admires fascist and traditionalist models, while MAGA’s rhetoric often glorifies executive power and dismisses democratic norms [1,2,4].

5. Populist Appeal Both use populist rhetoric to mobilize their bases, framing themselves as defenders of the "real people" against corrupt, out-of-touch elites, and rejecting mainstream media, academia, and political establishments [1,3].

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Differences Between Russkiy Mir and America First:

1. Scope and Ambition

   • Russkiy Mir: Dugin’s ideology is explicitly imperialist, aiming to create a transnational "Eurasian" empire to challenge and replace Western dominance [4,5,6].
   • MAGA/America First: MAGA focuses primarily inward—protecting borders, reversing demographic changes, and rolling back progressive policies, with less emphasis on reshaping the global order [1,3].

2. Racial and Ethnic Inclusion

   • Russkiy Mir: Dugin’s ideology is ethnically expansive, seeking to incorporate non-Russian ethnic groups into a broader "Russian" identity through cultural assimilation or coercion [6,7].
   • MAGA/Whites First: The more extreme factions of MAGA are explicitly racial, focusing on preserving white demographic and cultural dominance in the U.S., making it more exclusionary [1,3].

3. Religious and Cultural Foundations

   • Russkiy Mir: Dugin’s ideology is deeply tied to Russian Orthodoxy and a mystical vision of Russia’s role in the world, blending religious traditionalism with geopolitical ambition [2,6].
   • MAGA/America First: MAGA’s religious rhetoric is tied to American evangelicalism and nostalgia for the 1950s, lacking the metaphysical depth of Dugin’s Eurasianism [1,3].

4. Relationship with the State

   • Russkiy Mir: Dugin’s ideology is closely aligned with the Russian state, which actively promotes it through institutions like the Russkiy Mir Foundation [5,6].
   • MAGA/America First: MAGA operates within a democratic system, seeking to capture the state rather than merge with it as a permanent ideological framework [1,3].

5. Intellectual Roots

   • Russkiy Mir: Dugin draws on fascist, traditionalist, and esoteric philosophies, creating a systematic and intellectual ideology [2,4].
   • MAGA/America First: MAGA’s ideology is more pragmatic, blending populist rhetoric, conservative media narratives, and conspiracy theories without a single philosophical foundation [1,3].

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Conclusion:

Both ideologies represent a reaction against liberalism and globalization, but Dugin’s Russkiy Mir is more explicitly imperialist, intellectual, and civilizational in scope, while MAGA’s America First is more nativist, racialized, and focused on domestic restoration.
The alignment between the two is real—especially among far-right factions in both countries—but their ultimate goals and methods differ significantly 

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References

[1] "Russia and pro-Trump MAGA movement becoming ideologically similar," The Economist, 2025. Link
[2] "Aleksandr Dugin, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump," Skeptic, 2025. Link
[3] "The American and Russian right are aligning," The Economist, 2025. Link
[4] "Aleksandr Dugin - Wikipedia," 2025. Link
[5] "Putin Has a Grimly Absolute Vision of the ‘Russian World’," Foreign Policy, 2022. Link
[6] "What is behind Alexander Dugin’s 'Russian world'?" New Eastern Europe, 2022. Link
[7] "Aleksandr Dugin’s Ideology Echoes Through the Alt-Right," Fair Observer, 2019. Link