While Mr. Putin had political skills, he was very much a product of being in the right place at the right time. Had the fall of Mr. Yeltsin happened six months earlier or later, another political player might be in charge.

The Russian people did not have much choice in their leader. But the American chose Mr. Trump. And this drama is not over. Western democracy is not immune to political forces similar to what Russians are facing. Had the Russians fully adopted western democracy and played by its rules, it still might have elected Mr. Putin.

We really need a new system so people like Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin really do not rise too high.