In a matter of hours, the world order has turned drastically less favourable for the Western democracies. : We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later. In a matter of hours, the world order has turned drastically less favourable for the Western democracies. Vladimir Putin’s seizure of Ukraine elevates Russia into a full-spectrum commodity superpower, adding critical market leverage over global grain supply to existing strategic depth in energy and metals.