“There is no pure evil that is not mixed with some good” as the ancient Greeks used to say.

One of the consequences, which Vladimir Putin probably did not anticipate as he planned the war he unleashed, is that this could lead to a revival of the liberal philosophy.

This philosophy is predicated in peace, in democracy, in freedom and freedom of choice for the people, in a free economy, in freedom of speech – in human dignity.

It was the model that prevailed from World War II onwards but which has been challenged in recent years. Leaders in a number of countries, led by Russia, Turkey, and Hungary, with small but continuous steps having taken control of the media and imposed authoritarian regimes.

Despite what is known about the catastrophes caused by this model, it has, unfortunately, found many fans in Europe, but also in America.

People in despair increasingly turned to an authoritarian system of government, believing that it would be better to exchange some benefits of a liberal political order for immediate, less bureaucratic solutions to its problems
This unhistorical fantasy has already been crushed – regardless of the result of the war launched by its most important implementer, Vladimir Putin.

The invasion of Ukraine proved what previous generations paid for dearly: the knowledge that unchecked power in the hands of one man naturally leads to disaster.

History is full of dreams of peoples that turned into nightmares when they handed over power to charismatic authoritarians, who sooner or later tried to distract the citizens from their failures by leading them, and sometimes all of humanity, to indescribable destruction.

But by then it’s too late.

Let’s hope that Erdogan comes to his senses, instead of envying Putin’s ‘glory’. Because, among other things, neither is he a ‘Putin’ – nor is Greece a ‘Ukraine’.