'The Purpose Is To Create A New Russian Civilization'

Economist Mikhail Delyagin, 37, gained entry to Russia's political establishment in 1990 when still only 22 years old, joining President Yeltsin's staff as an aide. Now supervisor of the Moscow-based think tank, the Institute of Globalization Studies, and the leading ideologue of Rodina (Motherland), a leftist, nationalist party, Delyagin vehemently opposes the Yeltsin-epoch liberalism he once loyally espoused. Rodina also criticizes Western liberal values and has campaigned against immigration with the slogan "Russia for the Russians."

Delyagin is seeking to position the party as a genuine opposition force. Delyagin dissected President Vladimir Putin's time in office...