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The peculiarly friendly relationship between the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has not escaped the notice of graffiti artists across the globe, who have portrayed the pair in a variety of lurid images.  Less well understood, however, are the many roots and shared philosophies between American and Russian far-right political movements.  Both espouse the seemingly contradictory concept of populist elitism and both express a disdain for science and democracy in favor of myth and authoritarianism.  Alexandar Mihailovic is a professor emeritus of comparative literature and Russian at Hofstra University and visiting professor of Russian at Middlebury College.  His new book, “Illiberal Vanguard: Populist Elitism in the United States and Russia” is out now from the University of Wisconsin Press.  Alexandar Mihailovic joined the Monday Buzz on June 23, 2025.

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