Ukraine showed there are things worse than American power: Russian power

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has marked a separation between old and new ways of thinking in parts of the western world. Consider the three things that perceptibly changed after February 24:

** The war thrust America back into a main role on the world stage.

** Those who were part of the liberal order realised its fragility.

** The world saw the transformative power of community when ordinary Ukrainians came together to defend their homes and neighbourhoods.

But mostly, I think, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin has managed to graphically illustrate that there are things worse than American power: Russian power.

Consider this realtime development just three days after the Ukraine invasion:

Nepal’s parliament passed the controversial Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) deal, a huge developmental package proposed in 2004 and which has hung fire since them.

It seemed that Kathmandu suddenly wanted to have options and these included a compact with the Americans.