On the other hand, clientelism/oligarchy is the default state of government, and it takes a huge amount of work to overcome that. An economy dominated by hydrocarbons and other resources did not help. The view that liberalisation automatically leads to economic complexity hasn't worked out

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The problem was less the harsh liberalisation, more that all the elites were steeped in culture of violence, coercion, subversion etc. Putin himself is a great example.

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Except that violence and lawlessness were hardly some kind of external imposition, they are defining features of the Russian experience under all of its various political guises.

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Bas Rücktritt und viele der Reaktionen darauf zeigen, dass Empathie in der aktuellen politischen Lage keinen Platz haben soll. Weiter empathisch zu sein, widersetzt sich dieser Logik von Gewalt und dem Recht des vermeintlich Stärkeren.

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The sheer scale of russia’s war in Ukraine has created a massive, permanent byproduct: hundreds of thousands of battle-hardened veterans. But as the frontlines grind on, a darker global trend is emerging, these men, and the infrastructure behind them, are becoming a permanent export. 🧵

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