Russia’s personalized regime has been able to use the W est as an important guarantor of its stability. It has also been sponging off liberal democracies, in the form of its elite’s personal integration into Western society.

 sEcurity and the world economy is not the only cause for concern. More importantly, both authoritarian systems have found a way to exploit liberal democracy, and both have been quite successful at doing this. Since the fall of Communism, Russia’s personalized regime has been able to use the W est as an important guarantor of its stability. It has also been sponging off liberal democracies, in the form of its elite’s personal integration into Western society.
Putin Ends the InterregnumBlurred Lines Between War and PeaceObserving the authoritarian experiments of these two serious global actors (although one of them has been weakened), as well as their search for an appropriate international role, has made for interesting viewing, revealing several paradoxes: first, the paradox of stability covering up a deeper instability and impending upheavals; second, the paradox of economic growth that is most likely only a brief respite before a precipitous fall; third, the paradox of outward displays of force that conceal inner weakness and disorientation. These paradoxes illustrate that there is a conflict between perceptions and reality in these two authoritarian states. The only question is to what extent they are the results of conscious distortions of reality as opposed to naivety or unwillingness to accept inconvenient truths.Were Arnold Toynbee alive today, a comparison of Russia and China would provide him with ample material for his theories on the rise and fall of civilizations. Perhaps, Samuel Huntington would have revised some of his conclusions on reform from the top and the role of the middle class in modernization. I hope, too, that Francis Fukuyama will have a chance to compare the modern evolutions of Russia and China, and their systems’ struggles for survival, in the upcoming second volume of The Origins of Political Order.The West should be particularly concerned about the future of these two models of the centralized state. The impact that Russia and China have on global security and the world economy is not the only cause for concern. More importantly, both authoritarian systems have found a way to exploit liberal democracy, and both have been quite successful at doing this. Since the fall of Communism, Russia’s personalized regime has been able to use the West as an important guarantor of its stability. It has also been sponging off liberal democracies, in the form of its elite’s personal integration into Western society. This integration has led to the creation of powerful pro-Kremlin lobbying structures that are undermining the normative foundation of liberal democracy (in fact, the Western politicians often don’t even recognize that this is what is happening). It is unclear how the Putin regime will play out after this cooperative 2 and a half hour legnthy discussion .  It's false charm of a trained KGB with an uncanny poker face for the onlooker to discern the legitimacy of the Putin intentions to curtail a disposition of "non-interference,' rather the untrained Trump , easily deceived , by the perhaps wolf and sheeps clothing, aka Vlad Putin, only time will tell if and end to syria war games can happen peacefully ... With natrual gas pipelines and the profiting of lng/oil exporting/ and fueling of ablymissal Europe , it's highly unlikely that the Telerson hopeful narative has any and all hope in playing out in cooperative affair... Perhaps if Russia and the U.s. split the europe lng exports in half, $$ 50/50 , perhaps if they are will to share in profits maybe then a willingness to tame the Russia/U.S retheroic.