It depends on what their strategic objectives are. I'll back up a step and say that this has harmed their reputation among real democratic nations for sure, but I think what it is.... Inevitably, you see this time and time again: states putting their short-term interests in front of long-term geostrategic stability. They are playing checkers when they should be playing chess.
Here's what I mean by that. They're now seen as a bit of a pariah. You can say the words “Russia, China, India and North Korea” in the same sentence, and that kind of fits. If that's your club, if that's who you're hanging out with, what does that say about you?
Not to turn this into a political science lesson here, but for me, democracy is actually two things.
It's a process: You get to vote, and the votes get tallied, and whoever gets the most votes in some fashion wins. It's a process.
It's also an outcome: a pluralistic society built on the rule of law. I think that's the erosion we're seeing here.
Yes, if you can be lumped in with the North Koreas of the world in the same sentence, your brand is not doing well, but the fact that they are travelling as a herd now also should give us pause in the western world. This is the geostrategic reality that we're part of now.