If America had embraced the Russia way of rule, they'd be miles ahead. It's not about soft power and influence webs, it's about ownership. Goodwill is as fickle as the wind. The America diplomatic and intelligence corps has spent the better part of three decades trying to create the fictitious "rules based international order" to the benefit of Europe, and now what do they get in return for it when they ask a forward? Nothing but indignation, entitlement, insane howling and the most petty of slights.
What the hell in relevance does Yurope have to do with the world? A sick old man sentenced to be replaced wholesale by a third world people in 15 years? And now they pose as the world's foremost moral and political authority? Are you crazy? National populism shall bury you.
If Putin had run America since 2006, they'd probably be miles ahead. He'd have lost NATO, but we're already going to lose NATO. He'd be a pariah among the sheep, but that too is inevitable amongst the strong leaders. In a world of great powers, the opinion of the peripheral and weak is meaningless.
Putin would have taken a land corridor through Canada and Greenland without so much as an ask. He'd have run a snap campaign to subjugate Mexico in 30 days. The decaying powers would look upon his nation with envy and a fearful hate. The whole world has conspired to destroy Russia, and yet they are more powerful than ever before, while the paper tiger of Yurope does nothing but bark and yelp pathetically.