THEY'RE SUCCESSFUL TO EXACTLY THE EXTENT THEY ARE WESTERN:

It's often said that Russia's Vladimir Putin, along with the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, owe their popularity and the relative stability of their nations to their success in giving their people not so much bread and circuses but McDonald's hamburgers and satellite TV. [...]

In April, Putin gave one of his semi-philosophical interviews, in which he spoke of the Russian capacity for personal sacrifice for the sake of national defense, or national victory. He referred to a Russian saying - "for peace, death is fine" - and went on - "What does 'for peace' mean? It means death for the sake of others of your own people, for the fatherland. These are the deep roots of our patriotism. From that comes our massive heroism." By contrast, he said, for people in the West, the measure is only private, individual success, money, status.

Consciously or unconsciously, the president was preparing his listeners for a time when they would no longer be able -- as they have been for most of the 14 years he has dominated politics -- to measure their success by "Western" criteria. He was reminding them that they were Russians, and Russians have  a higher calling, a spiritual fusion with their nation, a transcendent mission to cherish and protect their fatherland.

Xi Jinping, the increasingly powerful ruler of China, doesn't have the economic problems his friend Putin has, but he does face a slowing of growth. In addition, in the student pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong, he may have glimpsed a ghost of Tiananmen Square past and the fear that the youthful idealism, with its serene faith in democracy, might spark protests across the mainland. Already, even without the help of the Hong Kong youth, mainland Chinese are increasingly angered by political corruption, by a polluted environment and by arrogant Communist cadres.

Xi has made the goal of the first years of his rule the development of  "the Chinese Dream." His dream is not a route to personal advancement open to all (like the American Dream) but a "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."

It's a collective, unifying, patriotic dream.

Follow @brothersjudd