Foxy,

Putin can sleep at night knowing he has the blood of dead children on his hands so I don't think murdering Navalny will keep him awake.

Actually, I think Navalny is expecting Putin to do it and that he is deliberately sacrificing himself as a martyr for the cause of freedom and intends to go out as a hero of the people. Just the thing that Putin doesn't want and probably the only thing that is actually keeping him alive for now.

Mr O,

I'm not sure what's keeping Navalny alive.
Perhaps it's the publicity he's getting
in the West? We'll see how long that will last.

Also Putin's health is being questioned. Moscow
denies the fact that Putin may have Parkinsons.
Or that his health is a problem. We'll have to
wait and see for that as well.

Posted by Mr Opinion, Tuesday, 6 April 2021 3:48:49 PM

Putin sees himself as a Tsar of Russia. Just the same way that Xi sees himself as the Emperor of China.

Both are trying to reinvent their nations and restore the greatness of their former empires. And whom better to be the head of state than themselves or as they would tell you "Well, someone has to do it so might as well be me."

This is the sort of thing that happens in a totalitarian or autocratic regime, whether it be an empire or kingdom.

This is what a lot of people have failed to recognise over the past half century especially with China and now the free democratic countries around the world are confronted by a belligerent China that is on a pathway of predatory expansion as it annexes territory around its periphery and spreads it's totalitarianism over other peoples all in the name of a Chinese Communist Empire that the Chinese nation-state sees as an extension of its imperial history.

And as Mr Opinion always like to say: I TOLD YOU SO.

Answer- I agree with your hindsight and your foresight but not the reasons behind the problem. I would perhaps say that expansionism and scale and hard power and liberalism are the problems. Deneen would argue that Liberalism causes expansionism and scale and is a totalitarian principle. Aristotle said that government by law was superior because it was objective- but at a deeper level law is still subjective- and is also totalitarian in the way that it's often implemented as a universal truth. Totalitarian and universal in a sense appear to be synonyms.

Also law contemporarily in it's universality denies the right to self determination of peoples.

Some kingdoms are more limited in scale and are not expansionist and so may be relatively less dangerous than some liberal nations

Democracy has a principle that government should be of the people- but if the people become subverted and fragmented- so is stability. Democracy has been linked with Liberalism and is now often seen as synonymous- but in a sense contradictory.

In military operations they talk of crossing the security cordon- that thin line of control- the security forces seem to be all powerful but in reality they sweep their territory to find abnormalities to target- subversives hide behind normality so they can engage in strike and fade operations. Our safety is based perhaps on a fragile shell- constantly probed by enemies within and without. The trick of government and leadership is for the will of the power and the people to be in the same direction. The shifting shadows of good and evil, friend and foe, power and powerless, law and lawless- stability and chaos- freedom and tyranny- balance. Change your shoes- throw the trackers- your evil continues.

The pressure of population increases scarcity of resources and makes the world a more dangerous place- but some seek instability to prey on the weak.

I think it's time to consider that perhaps China should be broken up into at least four self governing nations- maybe Beijing, Shanghai, Canton, ...

In the jungle there is only predator and prey... those that hunt and those that run... aggression and fear. Humans at times- in their gentle arrogance- try to transcend this binary state- but the wise perhaps understand their own limitations- and understand that those with claims of enlightenment often drag us to yet unseen depths.

Alexis de Tocqueville believed that stability and democracy and equality required a return to local forms of government- Traditionalism.

Good Morning Canem Malum,

Thank You for your insights.
And for your detailed responses.

They are appreciated.

My pleasure Foxy- take care. I'm not always able to contribute- perceive politics as an engineer- and at the risk of boldness- a philosopher.