ASMR of me loading film for the first time in two years.

#photography

What is causing all the Metabolic Dysfunction?

REPORTER: "Do you have a message for Ukrainians...who might feel betrayed or disappointed at not having a seat at these initial talks..."

TRUMP: "I hear they're upset about not having a seat. Well, they've had a seat for 3 years...This could've been settled very easily."

A Russian predicted #Trump, the invasions of Ukraine and Georgia, Russia’s pact with Iran and China, and its advance over Latin America and Africa back in 1997. That man was Alexander Dugin, Putin’s advisor, author of a work that was less of a prophecy and more of a manual.

In 1997, Dugin wrote his most important work: Foundations of Geopolitics, a book that is required reading in Russian military academies and university programs related to politics. It was a forecast of what would happen starting in 2000 when Putin came to power.

To understand Dugin, it is essential to establish that he aligns with the Eurasianists, a doctrine born in the early 20th century, which argues that Russia must lead a fight against Western “Atlantism,” represented by Europe, the U.S., and their allies.

It’s important to clarify that when Dugin wrote his most significant work, he was in his most overt phase of admiration for fascism and Nazism, along with his esoteric-racial delusions. I explained this back in March 2022

In his ramblings, he borrowed dangerous Nazi-inspired ideas, such as the need for a “living space” for Russia, racial superiority, a supposed existential threat justifying atrocities in its imperial expansion, and a cultural advantage over the West.

In this antagonism with the democratic and liberal “Atlantist” system, he proposes a traditionalist, ultra-conservative approach and a return to an idealized past where progress is presented as part of Western decadence—the same rhetoric we see daily on social media.

Dugin claims that Russia is the “New Rome.” He presents it as an evolution of Western Europe, a bridge between East and West while belonging to neither, and assigns it the mission of restoring the Russian Empire to create a new Christian Mecca—but Orthodox.

That book became the foundation of Russian foreign policy moving forward. This is not a debatable statement because the first thing we’ll confirm is how Dugin’s proposals were later translated into concrete actions by Putin. Let’s verify this with specific cases.

One objective Dugin set was to “resolve the Ossetia problem” and “connect Abkhazia directly with Russia.” Both Georgian regions were invaded and effectively annexed by Russia in 2008. From then on, attention should have been paid to Dugin’s proposals.

He also warned about the invasions of Ukraine. In a chapter called The Problem of Sovereign Ukraine, he wrote that the very existence of that country would lead to armed conflict. He didn’t predict the future two decades in advance; he wrote Putin’s instruction manual.

In 1997, Dugin stated exactly what Putin and his followers have repeated since February 2022: that Ukraine never really existed, and therefore, there is no invasion or territorial annexation—just a “special military operation” and an act of reclaiming sovereignty.

Dugin asserted that Ukraine “should be strictly a projection of Moscow,” erasing its 1990 independence. This foreshadowed Putin’s reaction to the fall of his puppet government led by Yanukovych after the 2013 Euromaidan, the 2014 invasions, and the 2022 full-scale war.

The incursions into Georgia and Ukraine are tied together in this phrase:

“The absolute imperative of Russian geopolitics on the Black Sea coast is Moscow’s total and unlimited control over its entire length, from Ukrainian territories to Abkhazia.”

Everything is Russia. Everything belongs to Russia.

Dugin also precisely anticipated the close alliance between Russia and Iran. In 1997, he wrote:

“Iranian Islam is a dynamic and powerful force with a clear anti-globalist orientation, claiming to be the global Islamic Revolution.”

In Dugin’s framework, the Muslim region was not to be absorbed into the Russian Empire due to religious differences but seen as an ally. He viewed Muslim expansion as a platform to extend Russian influence and counter its adversaries.

This strategic zone stretches from West Africa to China’s Muslim populations, including the Sahel, the Islamic regions of the Caucasus and Central Asia, and groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Dugin lumped them all together as geopolitical tools.

Perhaps seeking to recreate the alliance between Hitler and the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Dugin didn’t want just any Muslim ally—only the one most anti-Western and confrontational. Iran is the only one that fits the bill.

Dugin wrote:

“The creation of the Moscow axis by Tehran resolves an enormous number of problems for the New Empire. By including Iran as the southern pole of the Empire, Russia would instantly achieve the goal it had pursued for centuries: access to warm seas.”

Dugin anticipated Russia’s presence in Syria and the establishment of the Tartus naval base on the Mediterranean in 2017. He does not mention Israel, which is curious given how much space he dedicates to adversaries. Putin also rarely references it compared to the opposition.

He does mention the Palestinians:

“The pan-Arab project should strive to create an independent anti-Atlantic bloc, where Iraq and Libya would become priority poles, and a liberated Palestine (under certain conditions, also Syria).”

That was in 1997, 27 years ago.

Dugin sees no issue with Islamic culture or its presence in Russia. On the contrary, he believes it provides geographic continuity for his imperial vision. He also foresaw its utility in sowing discord in the West and the presence of useful idiots for that purpose.

Where Dugin’s prophecy failed was in Germany—probably because his proposal depended on gas. He suggested an alliance between Russia, Germany, and Japan to defeat Atlantism, offering Germany Ekaterinburg as a reward.

He imagined Germany leading Christian Europe and dragging Scandinavian countries along to neutralize Latin Europe and isolate Britain, his favorite enemy. Sound familiar? Just ask Schroeder.

Dugin’s vision also included offering Japan territorial incentives—specifically, the Kuril Islands—to pull it away from the Atlantic sphere. In 2004, Putin proposed returning two of the four islands, but the deal was later shelved, and tensions returned.

Perhaps his Nazi ideological roots led him to fantasize about recreating the Axis with Moscow as a new member. Either way, the political Molotov cocktail he threw never ignited.

Dugin’s Nazi influence is not speculation. He adopts ethnic-racial fantasies to speak of an “Aryan race” originating from “Ariana,” a fictional construct with no basis in ethnology but useful for uniting various scattered peoples under his Eurasianist imagination.

He claims Armenians, Iranians, and Kurds belong to the same Aryan identity allied with Indo-Europeans, where he places Russia’s dominant Slavic ethnicity. This is the “master race” at the center of his imagined Eurasian universe.

Dugin always considered China “the most dangerous geopolitical neighbor to Russia in the South” and proposed dismantling it, stripping it of Tibet, Manchuria, and Xinjiang while taking control of Mongolia.

However, in 1997, Dugin proposed a deal with China: allow its expansion southward so that it wouldn’t look north. Specifically, tolerate its ambitions in the South China Sea, letting it advance over Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Australia, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

This “concession” is confirmed through joint naval exercises near Taiwan, where Russia plays a supporting role without maintaining a permanent presence. Many copies of Dugin’s book have been translated into Mandarin.

Finally, let’s look at what Dugin said about the U.S. He saw no inherent threat unless it remained allied with Europe against Russia. Therefore, he proposed working to break the Atlantic alliance while weakening the U.S. through indirect means.

“All levels of geopolitical pressure against the United States must be used simultaneously.”

Russia already has Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua. The goal is to pull all of Latin America into its sphere.

Dugin’s influence persists. The most dangerous ideologues are often those whose influence is unnoticed by those who follow their plans. That is not the case with Putin—he has had Dugin whispering in his ear since 1997