For what it's worth, I generally agree with what you're saying here (and I vouched for your comment, because I thought it was an insightful contribution to the

For what it's worth, I generally agree with what you're saying here (and I vouched for your comment, because I thought it was an insightful contribution to the discussion). I should clarify, though, that the "psychology" I am talking about applies more to the supporters of these political movements than to the politicians who lead them. It's completely possible for an intelligent manipulator to spout some narrative that appeals to the public's psychology, without them believing it themselves. Your point still stands, though, that it's not enough to simply say "the leader is a liar, and their supporters are mad", because that reductionist framing is more likely to shut down any attempts at further understanding than to open the door to learning that there might be legitimate grievances that are leading to this "madness". As for Putin, I think he is dangerously sane, but that's not to say that a psychoanalysis wouldn't reveal a helpful understanding of his motivations and weaknesses. For example, it seems that he spent his early life believing in (and working for) the greatness of his country which was destined to conquer the world (as if it were a game of chess played out across a world map), only to watch helplessly as that was all ripped away from him by the West. That could be psychologically devastating and create a trauma that has stayed with him for his whole life. I could well imagine that from his perspective, if he doesn't take back control of Ukraine, his whole life has been for nothing.