The Russian Political Elite - The Winner in the Cold War

The West has become a means of survival for the Russian political system. For the first time in recent history, a system that collapsed overnight has managed to limp along by using the winner in the Cold War. Meanwhile, having won the global battle, the Western winner is constantly running to catch up with events and can't predict the future. It is gradually becoming more intellectually lazy and ideologically muddled, even when confronted with aggression. This is the atmosphere in which authoritarian states find their niche and seek to solve their domestic problems as Russia is doing in Ukraine.