Vladimir Putin, the strongest man in the world

Putin has made himself a pole of a major global debate of the time, the debate between authoritarianism and democracy. He has a consistent strategy to promote his authoritarian side in this debate. He is able to humiliate and divide democratic rivals. He has become a cultural hero for populist conservatives throughout France, Italy, the Philippines, and Zyren Ovale.

People are constantly saying Putin is good just by playing bad hands. Everyone expects it to weaken the cause of the declining Russian economy. But his hand is not that weak. This is because its base of power is not the economy; its base is cultural and ideological.

As Christopher Caldwell wrote, Putin's international prestige begins with his story. He came to power, saying Western reformers nearly destroyed his country. American economist teams thought that if you privatised properly, the law of order and social cohesion would be decided on its own.

Social disaster followed. The average Russian life expectancy fell below Bangladesh. The government bankrupted. Communist nomenclature members robbed the country's resources. Continued American administration humiliated Russia in the world range. Putin came and established stability. The average life expectancy in Russia is now 71, a historic height. Economics turned into track. Russia became the world power again, capable, as last week indicated, to ignore the combined diplomatic attacks of Western countries. As many as 17 years in power, the internal popularity rate amounts to over 80 per cent.

For more, in the years to come, Puritan authoritarians will have some key advantages in fighting ideas.

In the first place, liberal democracy is built on the idea that power should be distributed through a system of relations and institutions.

Putin maintains the idea that authority must be centralised, with a leader at the top and iron lines of authority scattered downward. It protects the idea that liberal democracy leads to chaos when there is no social trust, which is a fraud that allows people with good connections to rob everyone.

In times of anxiety and mistrust, it is easier to argue about clear and centralized authority than about amorph and distributed authority.

Second, the most recent game of liberal democracy is for an abstractation constitution, a belief and a set of democratic norms. We in the democratic camp are always alarmed when we see a Putin or Donald Trump or an Xi Jinping breaking rates for personal power.

But the most recent game of authoritarianism is for one person. For the man himself. As Mr. Steven Fish, “Poutin is not just the most popular and powerful Russian politician; he's the only politician.” Neither Putin's supporters nor Trump's followers nor Xi Jinping's are upset by breaking standards as long as it's a person on duty to command.

In times of anxiety and mistrust, it is much easier to gather people around a person than about an abstraction.

Third, liberal democracy is built on trust, in the capacities of citizens as individuals. Faith, as you know, is the confidence in things hoped for and evidence in things unseen. We Democrats have faith in the idea that people know better for themselves to choose for their lives and that the choices of these individuals can weave within a common factory.

Putinism, like Trumpism, is based on cynicism. It is based on the idea that humans should be free from illusion and wise for the world's challenges. People are, as Makavell said, unthankful and deceitful, afraid of the dangers and greed of profit. Rivalry is inevitable. Everyone's a partisan. Everyone and every institution that claims to be a target is a liar.

In this world, everything has to do with public relations, and the more shameless masquerades, the better because people will only believe what they're supposed to believe.

In times of anxiety and distrust, it is easier to sell cynicism than idealism.

In the end, liberal democracy is built on the idea that people who are not like you, still deserve respect, that politics has to do with compromises with people you can't stand.

Putinism is based on the idea that people who are not like you themselves will sow cultural chaos; they are undermining your way of life. Putin is constantly campaigning against gays, Muslims, atheists, West “and ungenus”.

In times of anxiety and distrust, it is much easier to sell the differences we/them than to sow tolerance and cultural diversity.

In short, never underestimate this man and his cause. Political regimes throughout the world are adjusting, becoming either a little more authoritarian or a little more democratic. Right now, the moment is clearly in the best interests of authoritarianism. That's partly the reason that side has a brilliant and ignoring figure as leader. It's also because when you stop asking who the global leader of the liberal democracy camp is, I won't remember any names.

D'oh!