One of the salient qualities of dictatorship is that dictators can hold the line even as democracies start to fade. That is the theory of virtually every dictator across history when faced with a democratic rival. That is certainly the theory of Vladimir Putin today, whether it is in Ukraine or whether it is with regard to him killing the people who oppose him, people like Alexei Navalny.
It’s becoming very clear this week that Putin is now settling all family business. This is the week where he feels like he has the capacity to do exactly what it is that he wants.
He feels that way because of a combination of fissures on the Right and the Left in the United States, as well as fissures in the European coalition.
With regard to Russia, when Putin invaded Ukraine, there was virtual unanimity that this was not something that the West could allow to stand. You couldn’t have Vladimir…
