Russia in 1993 was a young, deeply flawed democracy, while America in 2021 is the world’s oldest. The Russian president was in a genuine standoff against a legislature of questionable legitimacy, while the American president manufactured a standoff against a legislature of broadly accepted legitimacy. The Russian president had called in the army, while the American army refused to get involved. Russia today has reverted to authoritarianism, while America today remains broadly democratic. The thinking went something like this: under consolidated democracy, all the players accept the “rules of the game,” including elections and the peaceful transition of power.

Source: National Post January 09, 2021 11:03 UTC