[BeauBo]

Their focus on eliminating any potential rivals (somewhat like the Democratic Party in that respect) has so gutted their society, that recovering from a collapse of the system will be much harder.

But such systems are brittle. When they break, they can shatter quickly.

[Zhang Fei]

[Their focus on eliminating any potential rivals (somewhat like the Democratic Party in that respect) has so gutted their society, that recovering from a collapse of the system will be much harder.

But such systems are brittle. When they break, they can shatter quickly.]

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That’s true about almost everything. The end came slowly, and then suddenly. Putin did not inherit the throne. He was Yeltsin’s eminence grise. I think he won’t simply hold on - he’ll maintain a firm grip on power until the Grim Reaper calls on him in the fullness of time.