Why it matters that Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent

The use of exceptionally high-potency nerve agents against political dissidents is an attack on the liberal international order.

I note that in light of the German government confirmation on Wednesday that Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok-class nerve agent. A Russian political dissident, investigative journalist, and human rights activist, Navalny has long been a thorn in the side of Vladimir Putin’s corrupt oligarchical circle. The German government’s finding follows Navalny’s arrival in that nation on Aug. 22, after he fell ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow on Aug. 20. The suspicion was that Navalny had been poisoned just before boarding that flight.