“The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must”, the Melian dialogue
tells us, a classical case study of political realism; and states and societies from the
United States to Eastern Europe and beyond have been suffering everything in recent
(otherwise peaceful) years, from interference in elections and destabilization of
governance, to the ascent of far right forces, radicalization and extremism,
nationalism and separatism, increasing state penetration and/or capture by corrupt
political-economic networks.
