Roland...with pleasure. If Putin starts doing the tourist in the west without having taken over the joint then the oligarchs will assume he's neglected their interests and is no longer covering their backs. This represents both an opportunity and a danger to them. They could take the chance to replace him for "legitimate" ideological reasons or punish him for dereliction of duty. Either way he is dead. Putin needs the "slow burning" conflict with the West to legitamize his autocratic rule. Absence of external enemies would be the end of him and the Russian people would throw the first stone.
The first Tsar of Russia, Vlad 1, reigned 1000 years ago and died without an agreed succession process and 17 pretenders to the throne were assassinated before someone finally won.
Putin's only problem with going to Disney, other than as its conquering hero is how to avoid assassination by his "friends" when he gets home!
Stuart would you mind spelling this out in different words? I’m not following you. Conquering hero? Assassination by “friends“ back home? You lost me
Roland...with pleasure. If Putin starts doing the tourist in the west without having taken over the joint then the oligarchs will assume he's neglected their interests and is no longer covering their backs. This represents both an opportunity and a danger to them. They could take the chance to replace him for "legitimate" ideological reasons or punish him for dereliction of duty. Either way he is dead. Putin needs the "slow burning" conflict with the West to legitamize his autocratic rule. Absence of external enemies would be the end of him and the Russian people would throw the first stone.
The first Tsar of Russia, Vlad 1, reigned 1000 years ago and died without an agreed succession process and 17 pretenders to the throne were assassinated before someone finally won.