Democratic countries – particularly the United States and members of the European Union – can denounce authoritarian practices with a clear voice and resist the temptation of cozying up to regional bullies for short-term strategic advantage. Given economic globalization and global communications, autocratic rulers derive almost as much strength from their international standing as they do from their control of domestic institutions.
民主国家——特别是美国和欧盟成员国——可以用明确的声音谴责集权主义行为，抵制用取悦地区不法分子换取短期战略好处的诱惑。在经济全球化和全球通讯的背景下，集权统治者源于国际立场的优势不少于来自控制国内机构的优势。