Trump ... is certainly finding out in this region that a 'special operation' can quickly turn into a quagmire, and that the Middle East is not Venezuela.
[T]he crisis of soft power risks accelerating the decline of [U.S.] power in the world, activating and speeding up centrifugal dynamics that might otherwise have taken years to fully manifest.
When political legitimacy becomes contingent on recognition by a superpower, populations lose their right to self-determination and democracy becomes a selective tool.