David vs. Goliath: Defeating Russian Autocracy

Abstract: The biblical story of David and Goliath is used here as metaphor to discuss one of the key aspects of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, the clash between democracy and autocracy. The essay discusses the development of Russian and Ukrainian political cultures as the two countries emerged from the ruins of the Soviet Union, considers democracy as a factor of international relations on the eve of the Russo-Ukrainian War, and treats it as one of the key issues over which the all-out war launched by Russia in February 2022 has been fought. It concludes assessing the impact that the war has had and will continue to have on the development of democracy in Ukraine and beyond.