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Authoritarian countries don't have to care whats best for their country.

ceejayoz 2y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_state_and_government_who_were_assassinated_or_executed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_state_and_gov... contains plenty who made the mistake of believing that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Ceau%C8%99escu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Ceau%C8%99escu serves as a pretty good example.
- daedrdev 2y ago
  What a stupid argument. They already run dictatorships. They will already be killed or imprisoned if they lose power. Putin for example has invaded Ukraine, and can never lose power or he will be murdered by one of many. Stalin and Mao never lost power despite their insane policies and ruthlessness.
  - ceejayoz 2y ago
    > They already run dictatorships. Yes, and as such, their primary threat is large-scale popular unrest. They aren't going to lose an election, they aren't going to be reined in by other branches, they aren't going to voluntarily retire. Which, in general, means you have to at least try to do things that don't piss everyone in the country off. > Putin for example has invaded Ukraine, and can never lose power or he will be murdered by one of many. Great example! He thought it'd go quickly and smoothly. It didn't, and for years now he's avoided the mass mobilization he'd need to win outright, because the regular people would hate it. > Stalin and Mao never lost power despite their insane policies and ruthlessness. Both had to backtrack when they pissed people off too much. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuhan_incident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuhan_incident "Fears of a more widespread PLA revolt led Mao and his core associates to scale back the movement's most radical components."
    - daedrdev 2y ago
      Stalin was able to kill tens of millions if his own people for going against the state. Whatever backtrack you see doesn’t matter
      - ceejayoz 2y ago
        > Stalin was able to kill tens of millions if his own people for going against the state. And had extensive propaganda efforts to shape public opinion about it. Because it mattered.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_state_and_government_who_were_assassinated_or_executed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_state_and_gov... contains plenty who made the mistake of believing that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Ceau%C8%99escu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Ceau%C8%99escu serves as a pretty good example.

daedrdev 2y ago
What a stupid argument. They already run dictatorships. They will already be killed or imprisoned if they lose power. Putin for example has invaded Ukraine, and can never lose power or he will be murdered by one of many. Stalin and Mao never lost power despite their insane policies and ruthlessness.
- ceejayoz 2y ago
  > They already run dictatorships. Yes, and as such, their primary threat is large-scale popular unrest. They aren't going to lose an election, they aren't going to be reined in by other branches, they aren't going to voluntarily retire. Which, in general, means you have to at least try to do things that don't piss everyone in the country off. > Putin for example has invaded Ukraine, and can never lose power or he will be murdered by one of many. Great example! He thought it'd go quickly and smoothly. It didn't, and for years now he's avoided the mass mobilization he'd need to win outright, because the regular people would hate it. > Stalin and Mao never lost power despite their insane policies and ruthlessness. Both had to backtrack when they pissed people off too much. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuhan_incident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuhan_incident "Fears of a more widespread PLA revolt led Mao and his core associates to scale back the movement's most radical components."
  - daedrdev 2y ago
    Stalin was able to kill tens of millions if his own people for going against the state. Whatever backtrack you see doesn’t matter
    - ceejayoz 2y ago
      > Stalin was able to kill tens of millions if his own people for going against the state. And had extensive propaganda efforts to shape public opinion about it. Because it mattered.