#2 Distracting people from the problems at home. Typical play for thuggish governments.
This is not a distraction. This is the main event. Everything else is a distraction. National leaders don't generally see themselves as glorified security guards for financiers and their accountants. Don't let the moronic shibboleths of the past century distract you from this essential truth. National leaders want to be famous, not just in the here and now, but for as long as anyone reads history books, and over and above every one of the individuals who's ever occupied their seats. It's no accident that Caesar and Alexander are basically the most famous personalities in Rome and Greece respectively - their ability to bring to fruition the epigram veni, vidi, vici is the basis of their long-lasting fame. |