It appears that we in the West are about to descend into another Cold-War, the current events and climate, hardly conducive to good relations between the NATO Alliance and those in the Kremlin. Even though Russia is no longer the power it once was with the break up of the old Soviet Union, you still wouldn't mess with them.
History
It is a common thread with those who gain power, that once in, they do not wish to be out, no, not ever again, and so will take any measure possible to remain exactly where they are. Take Russia itself, the Tsars - Autocratic Power/Divine Right, that was bad enough - but the Lenin's and Stalin's that replaced them were infinitely worse.
Vladimir Putin is also in it for the long run, having done away with the Gorbechov stabs at a Democratic future to a return to total Autocracy, which he, and he alone controls.
China has just changed the rules for its leader to remain leader for life. We cannot overlook North Korea, and the whole Indian sub-continent, never mind Afghanistan and Burmese add-ons; all are ruled by Army factions, never mind the Democratic cloak.
Even Syria whose leader is hell-bent on bombing his country back to year 0 has given up any pretence that the leader acts for himself rather than the good of his people. The West got rid of Hussein and Gaddafi. As maniacal and deluded as they may have been, at least the anarchy that replaced them did not exist.
Delusion
It was said that prince of Wales, George, later George IV, when he became too drunk would regale his guests of his exploits with his cavalry division on the Plains of Waterloo in June of 1815. He even expanded long and hard in front of the Duke of Wellington about their joint noble exploits that day; the Prince, of course, at the time being fast asleep in his bed at Windsor Castle, while the Duke was boot deep in blood.
The Donald is another master of the delusional art, never mind that he fired his Secretary of State by tweet, yet fails to do the honourable thing and tell him first. Never mind that he is about to waste millions of dollars on a Military Parade that honours only him, when he, in fact, dodged the Vietnam Draft five times and has had the gall to belittle honoured heroes in his speeches.
Somehow he also fooled himself, if not us, into believing, that without the aid of a gun, he would have attempted to stop the recent school shooting in Florida.
To fool others is easy, to fool yourself takes a master of the art and yet we have been fooled year after year, century after century by generation after generation of delusional also-rans. Lions led by donkeys we may be, but unlike many others, as a true Democracy, at least we have a choice.
