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How Vladimir Putin provokes—and complicates—the struggle against autocracy
Essay
The Economist considers how Russia's unjustified war in Ukraine changes the international dynamics for democracy support and fighting against authoritarianism. During the Cold War, the United States and other democracies made deals with undemocratic regimes that are looked back on unfavourably, with the current situation necessitating similarly difficult choices. The article considers possibilities for cooperation with states in which democracy is struggling or are undemocratic, such as Turkey, Poland, and Venezuela, as well as prospects for those states that have favoured Russia. The war, while demonstrating the strengths of democracy and drawbacks of autocracy, is unpredictable, and there are still many possibilities for the future.