Loading What Putin suggests as an alternative is a world of ethno-nationalism, framed by the culture, traditions and values of the people who make up “the core population". In Putin’s caricature of politically correct liberalism, though, he makes a point about identity that does have relevance because, in his view, no people, with their traditions, cultures and values, can tolerate the differences of another. And this gets to the second event. During the second Democratic debate last week, Senator Kamala Harris confronted former vice-president Joe Biden for his racially outdated views and voting history.

California senator Kamala Harris gave a forceful performance in the second Democratic debate in Miami. Credit:JOHN LOCHER For the sake of argument, let’s just say Harris, on merits, would be the better candidate than Biden. But by using race and history – in other words, identity – as a tool to wound her rival, she sets back the broader cause of liberal democracy. Understanding the possibilities of politics around identity is unmodern. It’s the way Putin sees them. Consequently, identity-focused liberalism is not up to the challenge democracy faces from the outside. It’s simply too easy to divide from the inside. And the story of the past few years is how authoritarians are seeking to divide open democracy from within. To defend democracy, liberalism must be idea and ideal-based. This way no identity can be left behind.

Let me say here: in no way is the argument for the shared ideals of liberalism intended as an end-run around the reality of racism and the unique experience of segments of the population who suffer bigotry. Loading Let me be equally clear: if ideals, rather than identity, are the prime political motivator, one need not be a person of colour to recognise the lasting injustice of bigotry, nor the need for laws to correct it. One need not be a woman to see the injustice of a world where women don’t enjoy equal pay, rights and recognition. Rather, standing together, people can look beyond their diverse identities, to rally around equality, justice, fairness.

Armed with identity, one must look to the past to understand the current condition. Armed with ideals, citizens look forward to what can be changed. This is crucial for the survival of democracy. The Harris-Biden exchange offered a glimpse of the identity conundrum for liberalism. But US politics are just a national version of the international contest between genuine liberal ideals and authoritarian decline. It’s this international struggle that calls for an understanding of liberal democracy that is impervious to the divisions highlighted by identity and, importantly, exacerbated by authoritarians exploiting our openness.

This is especially true in the era of social media, when authoritarian powers exploit the technological quirks of those borderless platforms to further inflame divisions. What illiberal groups, extremist groups and racist groups share is a form of ethno-nationalism, the ideology embraced by Putin’s comments on tradition and identity. Christchurch shooter Brenton Tarrant’s internet manifesto, for example, was thick with references to this worldview. And Russia is not alone in spreading this anti-modern poison. The Chinese Communist Party seeks to define the whole of Chinese ethnicity as a Communist Party project. The CCP is, in this way, the ultimate identity politics party.