> But Russia’s debacle in Ukraine underscores the fact that democracy’s guarantee that leaders are regularly replaced is actually the system’s most important ad

> But Russia’s debacle in Ukraine underscores the fact that democracy’s guarantee that leaders are regularly replaced is actually the system’s most important advantage. It turns out that our power to throw the bums out could end up saving not just the West, but the world. That's not necessarily a "superpower" exclusive to democracy. You can get it with a competitive oligarchy as well (e.g. I'm thinking of pre-Xi China). It's also one that any system can lose (e.g. the democracy elects a strong, ruthless leader who abolishes it).