The world is unmistakably moving towards the establishment of civilizational dictatorships, and the character of each dictatorship depends entirely on the civilization it embodies. In the West, it takes a liberal form; beyond the West, it does less so. As Carl Schmitt observed, there are two types of dictatorship: sovereign and commissarial. This distinction is crucial. In a sovereign dictatorship, the ruler decides everything, while others merely obey. If the ruler calls for war, there is war; if he calls for peace, there is peace; all remain silent. A commissarial dictatorship, by contrast, is governed by ideas to which even the ruler must submit — such as Russian Orthodoxy or, in India’s case, dharma.

A commissarial dictatorship is a noble form; a sovereign dictatorship, though less so, is still acceptable. What matters most is to call things by their proper names.

A liberal dictatorship belongs to the commissarial type, yet its guiding idea is abhorrent precisely because it is liberal.

Trump is a sovereign dictator seeking to topple the liberal commissarial dictatorship — better known as the Deep State.

MAGA represents the project of an illiberal commissarial dictatorship — an excellent idea in itself, though it awaits JD Vance. Trump’s immediate mission lies elsewhere: the destruction of liberalism. His confrontation with the Federal Reserve marks a critical milestone. Break it all down.

With Trump, nearly everything is acceptable, apart from his flawed grasp of the war in Ukraine, though he is beginning to realize that this matter lies beyond him. The crown is too heavy for his head. It would be wiser for him to remain on the sidelines and wait for the right moment.