How might this case inform our understanding of modern autocracies (e.g., Russia, China)? by

Can explain why they go in too far and then refuse to fall back

2025-04-07 09:42:22 UTC

Something about nationalist sentiment

2025-04-07 09:42:37 UTC

Russia can’t easily pull out of Ukraine without public backlash. China can’t abandon its claims in SCS, Taiwan, India, etc

I guess if we're looking at historical trends, once autocratic facades start to crack, we can expect a downward trend of the people in power

2025-04-07 09:42:39 UTC

Similar to the konfrontasi presentation, ideology only works in the short term, then performance legitimacy supercedes

States get "stuck" due to past commitments and are constrained in foreign policy over time

2025-04-07 09:42:59 UTC

(Not applicable to current US policy)

2025-04-07 09:43:00 UTC

Avoid letting go of territorial claims despite military failure in order to save face in front of domestic audience (Russia) and in China’s case to make sure future claims will be taken seriously by other countries

2025-04-07 09:43:13 UTC

tldr its always about their ideologies and saying “its about the principle” even if this costing the country substantially to maintain that stance

2025-04-07 09:43:19 UTC

Legacy matters a lot, also sunk cost is too high in anything Putin puts in.