The strange loyalty of Putin’s global fan club

IT WOULD be comforting to believe that the death of Alexei Navalny will finally make Vladimir Putin an international pariah. But recent history and current politics suggest otherwise. It is sadly likely that Russia’s leader will continue to be treated with respect – and even admiration – in large parts of the world.

No one should expect that Xi Jinping will jettison Putin simply because another sudden death has taken place in Russia. China’s leader shares Putin’s hatred of pro-democracy activists. What is more surprising is that Putin also continues to have friendly relations with the leaders of some of the world’s most powerful democracies.

Indeed, it is entirely possible that the world’s three largest democracies – India, the United States and Indonesia – will all elect admirers of Putin as their leaders this year. Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia, Narendra Modi in India and Donald Trump in the US are all notable for standing aside from the international condemnation of Putin – for reasons that go beyond realpolitik.