It’s Christmas Eve, and what’s more germane to the holiday season than some lengthy rambling about authoritarianism? Of course, today’s Ruminant is a little more nuanced than that. It also digs into how political states emerge in the first place, why Russia is becoming a “really crappy” country, and how to distinguish between valid criticism of American foreign policy toward Ukraine and toadying to Vladimir Putin. On the lighter side, Jonah also answers a few questions that arose after the week’s earlier episode with the Fair Jessica. We wish you all a wonderful holiday!Show Notes:- The Fair Jessica’s Remnant return- Zelensky’s speech to Congress- Julia Davis’ Russian Media Monitor- Jonah: “Authoritarianism’s Bad Year”- Francis Fukuyama’s The Origins of Political Order- How Putin’s war became a catastrophe for Russia