Democracy leads inevitably to the election of "leaders" who can't lead, because leading would cost them votes. Instead, they look for fudges, for ways to kick the can down the road, for ways to appear to be acting decisively while in reality doing nothing of substance. They do these things because ordinary people don't want to be upset. Ordinary people want to be able to keep watching their vacuous entertainments and continue to cram slop down their throats without having to attempt to think about serious things. And so it's easy for Russia and China to dominate Western political institutions, because we're so flaccid and empty-headed. Add to this the fact that the media makes a great deal more money from sensationalistic lies than from attempting to convey reality (people hate reality because it's complicated and there don't seem to be any heroes to chher for most of the time) and so of course they follow the money. Russia and China are merely taking advantages of weaknesses we ourselves have created and embraced. As there's zero chance of any meaningful change, it's clear the West is finished. Today it's Ukraine paying the price. Tomorrow it will be our children. Of course, the ultra-rich and well-connected will, as always, be exempt from the deluge. That's the American Way.