Putinization

The [Feb. 27] White House episode marks a turning point in U.S. foreign policy and in the Ukraine war. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance staged an unprecedented public humiliation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.

What should have been a diplomatic meeting turned into an embarrassing spectacle, with Trump and Vance shouting at Zelenskyy, accusing him of ingratitude and demanding that he accept a peace agreement on terms dictated by the U.S. This was not an isolated event, but rather the symptom of a broader phenomenon that we could call the “Putinization” of global politics. The term refers to adopting tactics and strategies popularized by Vladimir Putin in Russia, which today are spreading to Western democracies.

Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion and Russian political activist, warned about this process in a recent Atlantic article. Kasparov points out how populist leaders around the world are replicating the tactics of disinformation, polarization and the cult of personality that Putin has perfected in Russia, Trump being the most notorious example.

Kasparov describes alarming examples of Putinization in the U.S. The former chess champion points to Trump’s complacent relationship with Putin, the widespread use of disinformation and propaganda, the exacerbation of domestic polarization, Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election, weakening the standing of the U.S. internationally and the proliferation of divisive and hate-filled rhetoric. Kasparov contends that these developments, reminiscent of strategies Putin uses in Russia, are eroding the foundations of American democracy The author warns that by accepting this rhetoric and these tactics, a significant sector of American citizens, fueled by frustration with the country’s direction, could be leading a turn toward authoritarianism in a country that once was considered the bastion of Western democracy.

Giuliano da Empoli has also analyzed this trend in his books “The Engineers of Chaos” and “The Wizard of the Kremlin.” In “The Engineers of Chaos,” da Empoli explores how a new generation of political strategists, experts in “big data” and propagandists are reinventing the rules of the political game, using techniques that recall those used in the Soviet era. In “The Wizard of the Kremlin,” he delves into Vladislav Surkov, considered to be the brains behind Putin’s political strategy. Through this book, the author shows us how the Russian regime has successfully maintained the appearance of a democracy while concentrating power in the hands of a small elite.

The humiliation of Zelenskyy by Trump and Vance is a perfect example of Putinization. The tactics of publicly discrediting an ally by showing force through intimidation, and of prioritizing spectacle over diplomacy, recall the strategies that Putin employs.

The White House incident also reveals how Putin’s influence is reaching beyond Russia’s borders. By treating Zelenskyy as a subordinate rather than the leader of a sovereign nation, Trump is imitating the model of international relations that Putin prefers, in which the great powers dictate terms to the lesser nations.

Putinization represents a significant challenge for the Western democracies. It implies not only the adoption of specific tactics, but also a change in the very concepts of power and politics. The Feb. 27 spectacle in the White House is a disturbing demonstration of how far this process has advanced, even in what is considered the strongest democracy in the world. The international community must remain very watchful and committed to democratic principles in the face of the growing influence of Putinization. Otherwise, the whole world will come to regret its fear and its apathy.