MetaFilter: In Russia, China, Iran, and the United States, autocracy is stumbling and liberal democracy is looking resilient. (But in the US at least, the far right isn’t taking no for an answer.)

Noah Smith: “… although liberal democracy is the GOAT, each generation is driven to fuck around and find out.”

Also Smith: “People love to think of themselves as the inheritors of a great civilization. But I’d rather think of myself as the ancestor of a great civilization yet to come!”

Also Smith: We’re entering another period of conflict between great world powers. In those conflicts, there are no good guys, only bad guys and less bad guys. Hopefully, we’ll be the less bad guys this time.