Factors influencing the intellectual premises of the Russian theorist Alexander Dugin in geopolitics, Eurasianism, and the fourth political theory

This research seeks to identify the most important factors influencing the formation of the intellectual starting points of the Russian thinker Alexander Dugin, which led to the birth of his theory on Eurasianism and the fourth political theory. Alexander Dugin is considered the most prominent contemporary Russian theorist who influenced the beliefs of the contemporary Russian political elite. The research adopts the structural approach in explaining the nature of the structural factors that influenced the ideas of the Russian theorist Alexander Dugin, which include his intellectual upbringing, his relationship with the Russian and European right, the impact of Putinism and Western geopolitical theorizing on the reaction of Dugin. This research was also the result of a field study conducted during the period between 2-13 November 2022 in the cities of Moscow and Pyatigorsk in the Russian Federation, which included attending intellectual seminars and conducting a number of interviews with researchers and specialists in Russian affairs. The most prominent research conclusions are: First: The fourth political theory is the product of an intellectual project that has continued since 1997 and its effects were clearly evident in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict (2014-2022), Second: Western geopolitical theorizing contributed to the strengthening of dogmatism and the inevitability of the Russian-Western conflict Third: The upbringing and political activity of the thinker Alexander Dugin played in strengthening his right-wing geopolitical convictions.