For years, Vladimir Putin has presented himself as a defender of national pride and traditional values. He rules Russia with an iron grip, silencing critics and controlling information. What is strange is how many politicians in the West, especially on the populist right, have come to admire him. They see in Putin a symbol of strength, order, and defiance against what they call “liberal chaos.” This unlikely admiration reveals a troubling truth about modern politics: the gap between democracy and authoritarianism is narrowing, not because of force, but because of fascination.
In The Politics of Rage, Sean Hogan examines how leaders like Putin have influenced Western politics. He writes that “the strongman has become an ideal, not an enemy, for parts of the modern right.” This is not just about Russia’s power but about what Putin represents. In an era of social division, mistrust, and fear, many populist movements view his model of leadership as direct, ruthless, and unapologetic, as something to emulate.
This strange alliance did not happen overnight. For years, Putin’s government has built ties with far-right parties across Europe. Financial links have surfaced between the Kremlin and movements in France, Italy, and Hungary. In France, Marine Le Pen’s party took out a Russian bank loan in 2014 when no Western lender would lend to them. In Italy, members of the League Party praised Putin as a patriot standing up to global elites. Even in Britain, voices within the Brexit movement admired his “strong leadership.”
Initially, these connections appeared to be political stunts. But over time, the admiration turned into alignment. Populist leaders began to echo some of Putin’s main talking points: attacking the European Union, dismissing the media, warning about immigration, and portraying liberal democracy as weak and corrupt. They did not copy Russia’s methods exactly, but they borrowed its attitude.
Donald Trump’s rise in the United States intensified this new dynamic. His candid praise for Putin surprised many but was typical of his style. Trump saw Putin as a leader who prioritized loyalty over legality and spectacle over substance. During his first term, he questioned NATO’s importance, strained ties with allies, and praised authoritarian leaders from Hungary to North Korea. As Hogan’s book observes, in his second term, “Trump and Putin are no longer rivals in ideology. They are partners in rewriting the meaning of leadership.”
Why does this appeal work? Part of it lies in frustration, as many voters in Western democracies feel left behind. They see their governments as distant, slow, and self-serving. When someone like Putin projects control and decisiveness, it feels like the opposite of the indecision they associate with democracy. The irony is that the very freedoms that allow criticism and change are being traded for the illusion of order.
Hogan warns that this admiration is dangerous because it normalises authoritarian behaviour. When populist leaders defend Putin’s actions or excuse his repression as “just politics,” they shift the boundaries of what is acceptable. “Democracy,” he writes, “does not die in darkness. It dies in applause for the wrong kind of strength.”
The alliance between Putin and Western populists also serves a strategic purpose. It weakens democratic unity. Russia benefits when Europe and the United States are divided. By encouraging nationalist movements and funding disinformation, Putin turns Western politics into a battlefield without firing a shot. The chaos that follows—distrust in elections, hostility toward immigrants, and anger at institutions—serves his interests perfectly.
The point of concern is that Western democracies may start copying not just Putin’s tactics but also his mindset. When leaders begin to see truth as optional, loyalty as absolute, and compromise as weakness, democracy becomes fragile.
As Hogan concludes in The Politics of Rage, “The strongman’s greatest victory is not in the countries he conquers, but in the democracies that learn to admire him.” The challenge for citizens and leaders alike is to resist that temptation and to remember that true strength lies not in control, but in accountability, openness, and shared purpose.
To understand how this strange alliance took shape and why it threatens democracy from within, read The Politics of Rage. Sean Hogan’s book provides a clear examination of how power, personality, and fear have reshaped the modern world, and what it will take to defend it.
Head to Amazon now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FH5N8FVQ/.
