Only one person, or perhaps a small, tight group, can succeed in this strategy though. The chance that that’s you is tiny. Alliances with someone you thought was on your side can easily break (case in point: EA/OAI).
It’s a better strategy to team up with everyone else and prevent the coup possibility.
I agree that teaming up with everyone and working to ensure that power is spread democratically is the right strategy, rather than giving power to loyal allies who might betray you.
But some leaders don’t seem to get this. During the Cold War, the US and USSR kept installing and supporting dictatorships in many other countries, even though their true allegiances was very dubious.
Your cynical world is just doing a coup before someone else does.
Yeah, it’s possible when you fear the other side seizing power, you start to want more power yourself.
Only one person, or perhaps a small, tight group, can succeed in this strategy though. The chance that that’s you is tiny. Alliances with someone you thought was on your side can easily break (case in point: EA/OAI).
It’s a better strategy to team up with everyone else and prevent the coup possibility.
I agree that teaming up with everyone and working to ensure that power is spread democratically is the right strategy, rather than giving power to loyal allies who might betray you.
But some leaders don’t seem to get this. During the Cold War, the US and USSR kept installing and supporting dictatorships in many other countries, even though their true allegiances was very dubious.
Agree
It’s called “defensive democracy,” and is standard practice in most of Europe.