Russians endured extreme hardships and unknowns after the Soviet Union disbanded, and Putin, an economist, reduced economic volatility. Russians may feel comfortable with his leadership because they're terrified of repeating the past, but their president is their business.

US hegemony enables Americans to believe it is our right to determine countries' governments because someone else would take on the role if we didn't. Fascism isn't restricted to governments; it exists within the public, too. It never occurs to us that not everyone wants to conquer the globe because it's an insane goal and that we empower a global dictatorship, which the world did not elect.

However, I wonder who will lead Russia after Putin. Undoubtedly, the US will intervene in the election, but I worry about the transition of power. Putin won't live forever, and hopefully, his departure doesn't lead to an impulsive, impatient government that threatens the US with nukes when provoked (like Kim Jung Un).

"We don't think that far ahead" will produce consequences we can't wish away. It's a shame we don't invest in a diplomatic future that doesn't consist of worrying about nukes and annihilation. Unfortunately, it won't happen because our economy needs an enemy. :(