The Rant Before Christmas
It’s Christmas Eve, and what’s more germane to the holiday season than some lengthy rambling about authoritarianism? Of course, today’s Ruminant is a little more nuanced than that. It also digs into how political states emerge in the first place, why Russia is becoming a “really crappy” country, and how to distinguish between valid criticism of American foreign policy toward Ukraine and toadying to Vladimir Putin. On the lighter side, Jonah also answers a few questions that arose after the week’s earlier episode with the Fair Jessica. We wish you all a wonderful holiday!
Show Notes:
– The Fair Jessica’s Remnant return
– Zelensky’s speech to Congress
– Julia Davis’ Russian Media Monitor
– Jonah: “Authoritarianism’s Bad Year”
– Francis Fukuyama’s The Origins of Political Order
– How Putin’s war became a catastrophe for Russia