COUNTER-ARGUMENT: Putin is playing a strategic long game. That game is waiting out the collapse of the USA’s global power and influence, and by consequence the influence of Western Powers, and then restoring Russian self-determination, security, economy, and world power status, while at the same time preventing the spread of ‘decadence’ (postmodernism, anti-male-feminism, pc-woke, and racial hatred) into Russia. This is not a foolish or ideological game. It is a very intelligent game. But that game comes at the cost of the economic deprivation of the present generation of Russians. So while it’s certainly important to reduce corruption. And it’s certainly important to increase the scope of rule of law. And it’s certainly important to improve the economy. It’s not that Putin and the Russian leadership aren’t engaged in a rational strategy in the long-term interest of the Russian people and Russian civilization. In fact, the only substantial error we have witnessed was the panic with which the kremlin sized Crimea, and fostered a civil war when it was possible to acquire it from Ukraine for simple reduction in gas prices – because Ukraine wanted to ‘separate’ into Russified east, and Ukrainian west. This is the cause of the 30% decline in the economy.
While it appears the west is wealthy it is all debt. And it will end rather soon as do all false debt-economies. Worse, the corruption in the USA is merely hidden because the corruption ends up in our financial sector and political sector, and the special interests that have destroyed the laboring, working, and lower-middle classes in America. The coming collapse of Germany due to demographics under ‘democracy’ is far worse than that of Russia. I feel safer and happier in Russia and Ukraine than I do in American and the government is less influential and invasive than in American, and far less so than in continental Europe, where the government is pervasive.
The economist isn’t a scientific journal. It’s a medium for the promotion of neoliberalism and social democracy. But you may note that social democracies have done more damage to european future than did the wars. We can repopulate and rebuild. But the destruction of european culture and civilization and history and demographics can’t be rebuilt.
(BIAS: Yes, I realize I am an American, Anglo-Saxon protestant, and as English, we are ‘peculiarly’ devoted to our freedom. But this peculiarity makes us very sensitive to the seduction of transferring responsibility to church and state rather than ourselves. There is no substitute for responsibility. But at the same time it means we have advertised to the world a system of government that requires equally ‘peculiar’ people – which don’t exist. “If you want to imitate Denmark you must first your country with Danes.” )