Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are both 70 years old, which offers a ray of hope for those worried about their aggressive efforts to remake the world order. As Mr. Putin’s misadventure in Ukraine has made clear, autocratic leaders don’t always peacefully fade away. Aging dictators have less time to reshape the world — and more memories of being obeyed at home and dissed abroad for their conduct. In his first few years in power in China, Mao Zedong envisioned that his plans to overtake the capitalist powers could take 50 to 75 years. From 1966 to 1976, the aging Mao’s last-ditch effort to safeguard his rule and legacy resulted in the chaos of the Cultural Revolution.

---

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Putin’s, don’t, haven’t, Mao Zedong, Mao Organizations: Nationalist Locations: China, Russia, United States, Putin’s misadventure, Ukraine, Taiwan