>> I think you need to come to terms with the fact that in some places, realistically, no amount of external influence will cause democracy to exist. I have lo

>> I think you need to come to terms with the fact that in some places, realistically, no amount of external influence will cause democracy to exist. I have long ago come to terms with that. That conclusion does NOT mean that we need to support those authoritarian regimes (except possibly for tactical advantage when necessary). This is especially true when the major authoritarian regimes are already waging war against the democracies because international rule of law threatens their kleptocracies. In case you doubt it, Putin's own Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov specifically use the word "war" in describing Russia's actions against the West. Specifically: “A special military operation began against Ukraine. Over time, it took the form of a war against the collective West. This is a war when the countries of the collective West, led by the United States, are directly involved in the conflict." [via Google Translate] Of course Russia is allied strongly with Iran and North Korea, and being aided by China and others. Just because any particular authoritarian state does not join the alliance any particular week, does not mean we should be supporting them. Plus, as someone else pointed out, if he's going to spend $7 TRILLION, the initial conditions of the location hardly matter. There are plenty of countries which would better benefit and be more cooperative. But obviously doing synergistic or even incidental good for others does not figure into these wannabe-tycoons' plans. [0] https://tass.ru/politika/19988073 https://tass.ru/politika/19988073