Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been a “rude awakening” for political leaders who thought the global rules-based order could be maintained through treaties and not armed force, according to a defence expert from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. “The big thing that a whole lot of Western leaders and societies are having demonstrated to them is that we’re not living in some ‘post-force’ world where wars just can’t happen,” Defence Director Michael Shoebridge told The Epoch Times. “Armed force is a present and used tool of states, particularly of the two powerful authoritarian outfits led by Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping,” he said. “Armed force in their eyes is not some anachronism from history. It’s an active tool to be used to pursue their goals.” Shoebridge called it a “crystallising moment” for the democratic world, which should galvanise greater global action. “The sanctions response is the first tangible indicator of …