Conservative-patriotic aspects of the scientific heritage of A.I. Utkin: the beginning of comprehension (on the 80th anniversary of the scientist)

The article considers the conservative-patriotic aspects of the scientific heritage of the famous Russian researcher of international relations A.I. Utkin (04.02.1944-19.01.2010). The author analyzes the researcher's later works and highlights two segments of his conservative-patriotic reflections. The first includes an analysis, from a patriotic position, of the features of the western view regarding the causes of the destruction of the USSR, taking into account a critical assessment of the arguments presented. They are overextension in the arms race; the original viciousness of the Soviet system; destructive influence of internal evolution; the role of the individual in history (the Secretary General, his entourage and some leaders of the Soviet republics); irreversible inertia emanating from the international situation; a combination of various factors in a sometimes bizarre interweaving. The scientist considers each of these reasons by asking leading questions, the conservative-patriotic message of which boils down to the thesis that the disintegration of the Soviet Union was the result of the betrayal of liberal-minded and pro-Western Soviet elites. Within the framework of the second segment, A.I. Utkin identifies and characterizes seven factors and opportunities for Russia’s development. They are Russian national character (mentality); the vastness of Russian territory, which has the widest plain in the world; intensification and rationalization of the use of domestic natural resources; a high level of education of the Russian population, which is expressed in a galaxy of humanitarian and technical specialists who carry the domestic civilization code; colossal scientific potential (manifested especially in the military-industrial complex); favorable geostrategic location (and the resulting need for a rational understanding of the historical experience of interaction with the West); the need for competent government planning for future transformations.