Thanks. I always appreciate Kagan. I’ll give it a read.

I'm not at all convinced that "modern" authoritarianism is truly an ideological force. "Ideology" is a word many people throw around without realizing just how hard it is to turn the term into a useful measure. As "world view" it has practically no use.

I'm not convinced that Putin has much of an ideology or that the Russian state is ideologically driven. Ditto for China. They are authoritarian, but essentially pragmatic. The baby strongmen like Orban are weak identity nationalists in their little ponds. The issues that divide one strongman from another one in a neighboring nation are larger than what unites them in some "coherent vision of a future polity."

The question you have to ask people like this is “whats it to you?” A schoolyard taunt that cuts right to the chase.

They never have an answer.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Miller:
The question you have to ask people like this is “whats it to you?” A schoolyard taunt that cuts right to the chase.

They never have an answer.