The presentation of Russia as a ‘state-civilisation’: how does Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric, through enthymematic reasoning and history, attribute superiority to Russia over the West and legitimise confrontation between them?

Abstract

This article examines how Vladimir Putin constructs Russia as a state-civilisation through strategic rhetoric that combines Aristotelian enthymematic reasoning with selective historical narratives. Drawing on Aristotle’s concept of the enthymeme as a persuasive argument completed by the audience through shared assumptions, the article introduces a novel analytical framework for examining Russian foreign policy discourse. The analysis identifies three interrelated enthymemes that underpin Putin’s civilisational narrative. The reclamation enthymeme presents Russia as a historically continuous civilisation entitled to recover lands portrayed as inherently Russian. The defence enthymeme depicts the West as expansionist, morally degraded and existentially threatening, thereby legitimising confrontation as an act of self-preservation. Finally, the ‘rejection of universalism’ enthymeme challenges the universality of Western liberal values by asserting the incommensurability of distinct civilisations and promoting a multipolar international order. Together, these rhetorical structures cultivate perceptions of Russian exceptionalism, reinforce domestic legitimacy and justify increasingly confrontational foreign policy choices. By integrating classical rhetorical theory with contemporary international relations scholarship, the article demonstrates how enthymematic reasoning enables political leaders to mobilise history, shared cultural assumptions and audience participation to legitimise strategic narratives. It argues that Putin’s civilisational discourse functions not merely as political communication but also as a performative mechanism that constructs Russia’s identity, normalises confrontation with the West and sustains support for its foreign policy objectives.