Dictators are getting more and more powerful. But this year, three of them have had problems.

They gave the impression of having iron control

The world was moving in the right direction for the leaders of Iran, China and Russia

The bad guys win.

This was Anne Applebaum’s summary in early 2022.

The award-winning historian summed up what pundits have seen over the past decade: Democracy and popular government are in crisis. Strongmen who want to rule themselves are becoming increasingly popular.

But many of Applebaum’s “bad guys” are in trouble in 2022. Among them are three big countries:

Iran, Russia and China.

Three authoritarian giants are suddenly showing signs of weakness, for entirely different reasons.

But probably only one of them is in danger of falling.