Russian commentary on the West:

The rulers of countries like Russia, Iran, China are the “adults in the room”: they are risk-averse, moderate, conservative, interested in “stability” before all else, afraid to take proactive steps & only respond to provocation when it reaches existential levels. There are both good and bad aspects to this, but it is what it is. Their enemies are, for the most part, rabid ideological fanatics (or just shameless criminals).

Being the sensible adult is nice when everyone else behaves, but it doesn't really work too well when you are confronted with crazy murderous revolutionaries (who are pretending to be “the normal ones” while doing completely insane things). Any form of retaliation could lead to an intolerable escalation because they have no limits and a lack of retaliation... also leads to escalation, because they feel emboldened.

The leaders of non-Western powers will have to adapt to the fact that they are not playing chess anymore — they are trying to talk a mentally ill, sexually confused teenager into not shooting up the school.

Honestly, it was easier when people like Nixon and Kissinger were around. More sanity, more competence, and you could talk to them like to normal people.