The Revisionist’s Paradox. Putin, Trump, and the Quest for Respect in a Disordered World

This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the shared strategic intent of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump to command respect on the international stage. It argues that while both leaders are revisionist actors seeking to disrupt the existing liberal international order, their motivations, methods, and the nature of the respect they seek are fundamentally different, stemming from their unique geopolitical and psychological positions. This leads to a paradoxical and ultimately self-defeating quest, as their actions undermine the very foundations of the international system from which they seek recognition. Putin, leading a power perceived as being in decline, seeks to restore Russia’s lost status through fear and coercion, a classic revanchist strategy. Trump, by contrast, represents a populist challenge from within the dominant power, seeking unqualified obeisance by dismantling the very order the United States created. This analysis, drawing on an expanded range of academic literature, concludes that their shared revisionism, far from achieving its goals, significantly diminishes their nations’ soft power and fosters a more unstable and unpredictable global environment, highlighting a critical flaw in revisionist statecraft in the 21st century.

Keywords: Putin, Trump, Revisionism, International Relations, Respect, Status, Recognition, Liberal International Order, Soft Power, Geopolitics, Foreign Policy, Populism, Nationalism, Great Power Politics, Security Dilemma, International Norms, Hegemony, Multipolar Order, Strategic Intent, Disrespect, Humiliation, Revanchism, Transactionalism, Multilateralism, Sovereignty.