On Wnzde, Americn ofiślz rvild ɖt, acordñ t Americn intelijns, Pūtin’z strict îṣleśn jrñ ɖ pandemic n wilñnis t pubḷcli casṭget advîzrz hv cntribytd t him gtñ incmplit or ovrli opṭmistic rports abt ɖ progres v Ruśn forsz.

“W b’liv h’z biyñ misinformd bî hiz advîzrz abt hǎ badli ɖ Ruśn militri z pformñ n hǎ ɖ Ruśn icoṇmi z biyñ cripld bî sañśnz,” Cet Bedñfīld, ɖ Ẃît Hǎs cḿṇceśnzd’rectr, tld rportrz. “Bcz … ɖ sīńr advîzrz r tù afreid t tel him ɖ truʈ.”

Az a rzult, ɖ atac hz bn a ctastṛfi fr Pūtin. H badli oṿesṭmetd ɖ Ruśn militri n unḍesṭmetd Ycren’z cpaṣti t rzist.

Instd v wìc̣nñ Nato, hiz atac hz streñʈnd it. N nǎ ɖt ɖ wrld’z dmocṛsiz hv cut of Ruśa’z axes t ɖ wrld bancñsistm, Ruśa’z icoṇmi z in frīfōl.

Dictetrz lîc Pūtin r ptiklrli vulnṛbl t inakṛt fīdbac. Instd v indipndnt truʈtelrz, ɖe r ofn srǎndd bî truʈ dnîrz.

Rɖr ɖn xprts n invstgtiv jrṇlists, ɖer wrld z fild wɖ sūdosayntists n propganda. In ples v a fri pres, ɖe hv ajitprop n disinḟmeśn.

Ɖ hayr y rîz in eni hîrarci, ɖ hardr it z t gt akṛt fīdbac abt yr dsiźnz bcz ppl r afreid t tel y ɖ truʈ.

I’v wrct wɖ sevṛl prezidnts. Ol hv md big blundrz. I’v olso noun n ritn abt ĆEOz v big corṗreśnz hu hv md teṛbl mstecs. In evri ces, ɖe hd flwd sistmz fr gtñ ysfl, akṛt n rlaybl fīdbac.

Doṇld Trump (hūm I dd’nt wrc wɖ, bt huz evri muv I woćt) md amñ ɖ dumist dsiźnz v eni Americn prezidnt in hisṭri. Sm mt se ɖs wz inevitbl; it wz bilt intu Trump’s caṛctr. Bt hiz ci caṛctr flw wz hiz unwilñnis t hír enʈñ neġtiv.

Trump srǎndd himslf wɖ tǒdiz n sic̣fants hu dd’nt der tel him ɖ truʈ. H dmandd ɖt evrwn arnd him cnfrm hiz prifŕd slf-imij v invinsbiḷti. Hiz Ẃît Hǎs wz fild wɖ fōnñ laciz (h fîrd enwn hu dd’nt grovl). H rfyzd t hír bad nyz. H rjctd ɖ vlidti v neġtiv mīdịcuṿrij.

Trump cd hv acumpliśt eni numbr v golz far mor īẓli hd h nt cept digñ himslf intu evr-dīpr houlz. H wz hiz ǒn wrst eṇmi.

Or lc at Ćîna’z Śí Jinpñ. Ẃ wd h dsîd t entr intu a “no limits” partnrśp wɖ Mosco on ɖ īv v Pūtin’z dzastṛs militri campen? Tōc abt blundrz.

Śí’z alayns wɖ Ruśa hz unḍmaind Ćîna’z repyteśn n agṛvetd cnsrnz amñ its nebrz abt Ćîna’z globl ambiśnz. It hz olrdi promtd Tîwan t streñʈn its dfnsz n pśt uɖr rījnl pǎrz sć az Ostreła n Jpan t dcler ɖer ǒn inṭrests in Tîwan’z s’kṛti.

Trump, Pūtin, Śí – ɖz men r’nt stypid. Ẃt’s stypid z ɖer sistmz fr mcñ dsiźnz.

Ɖe d’nt includ nêseyrz. Ɖe hv no we v iliṣtñ, recgnîzñ or asesñ ysfl criṭsizm. Ol r trapt in hōlz v mirrz ɖt rflect bac at ɖm ẃt ɖe wont t si n hír.

Ɖ invrs rleśn btwn hǎ hî ppl rîz in a hîrarci n ɖ akṛsi v ɖ fīdbac ɖe rsiv cn b oṿcm f a līdr agresivli sīcs ǎt dsntñ vyz.

Bt it’s olmst imposbl t fînd dsntñ vyz in a ttaḷterịn sistm ẃr dsnt z ofn puniśt. Wn v ɖ gret vrćuz v a dmocṛsi z its multipl fīdbac lūps – its mni ćanlz fr xpresñ oltrṇtiv vypônts n vôsñ uncumftbl truɖz.

Aftr ol, Americn dmocṛsi stopt Trump fṛm dwñ īvn mor damij ɖn h dd.

Yt ẃn ppl lîc Trump, Pūtin, n Śí mc teṛbl dsiźnz, ɖ wrld sufrz. Ɖ wrld cd īvn b anayletd.

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Roḅt Rîć, a formr YS secṛtri v lebr, z pṛfesr v public poḷsi at ɖ Yṇvrṣti v Caḷforńa at Brcli n ɖ oʈr v Sevñ Capiṭlizm: Fr ɖ Mni, Nt ɖ Fy n Ɖ Comn Gd. Hiz ny bc, Ɖ Sistm: Hu Rigd It, Hǎ W Fix It, z ǎt nǎ. H z a Gardịn YS coḷmnist. Hiz nyzletr z at robertreich.substack.com