Part 2/11:
This week marked a significant event in global geopolitics: Vladimir Putin's swearing-in as Russia's president. The ceremony included a deeply symbolic Orthodox Church service, where Russian Patriarchs invoked divine blessing upon Putin, asking for spiritual and physical strength to face the world’s mounting challenges. The scene was reminiscent of the bygone era of Zar Russia, where church and state collaboratively governed a vast empire, united under a unique Russian civilization rooted in Orthodox Christianity. This echoes a broader revival of traditional, hierarchical authoritarian visions that carefully blend faith with state power, suggesting a resurgence of Russia’s imperialist ambitions and its desire to forge a civilizational identity outside Western liberal frameworks.