It's not quite the much-rumored DC cocktail party circuit, but I did get to go to a "salon lunch" today with Dmitri Simes talking about Russia and he had a novel take on the continued uncertainty about what Vladimir Putin's going to do when his term of office as president ends. As Simes laid the situation out, Putin very much wants to hold on to ultimate authority. But he doesn't want to do so much damn work! And so there's no clear picture of what he's going to do because he hasn't decided yet; he's still working on devising a formula that will maximize his power while minimizing the day-to-day workload. Apparently, they took a look at constitutional monarchy and some consideration has been given to creating an entirely new post aside from President and Prime Minister, possibly called "Supreme Leader" like in Iran.
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Ayatollah Putin the Lazy
08 Nov 2007 03:39 pm
Comments (24)
Of course, Vlad's desire for more leisure time leads to an interesting quesiton: What does Vladmir Putin consider to be "fun?"
I think Fred Thompson wants the same gig.
I think it's about time that Putin declare himself Czar. It would do a lot to counter the worldwide anti-monarchical republican sentiment that we've been dealing with since the late 18th century.
A new, functioning monarchy in the heart of eastern europe could lead to a flowering of monarchy throughout the region.
This is serious, people, the Hollerenzhen and Karageorgevich families need jobs!
Hollerenzhen?
Hohenzollern, the Romanian Royal family in exile. I always get that wrong when I try to spell it from memory.
Aren't there still a few Hapsburgs floating around also?
I believe that the sultan of the Ottoman empire and his wife live in Manhattan. They're really old though, and I'm not sure if they have children.
The Hohenzollerns were the royal family of Prussia (and so later Germany), not Romania. Really, what are they teaching in the schools these days?
Hm, it appears a Hohenzollern branch was also the royal family of Romania, after all. But referring to them that way is like saying "Francis Ford Coppola, the director of Peggy Sue Got Married"...
he's still working on devising a formula that will maximize his power while minimizing the day-to-day workload.
Gee. Sounds like every boss I've ever had of Director level or higher at any company I've ever worked for.
Don't forget the Sachs-Colbergs of Bulgaria, who, like the Hohenzollerns and a significant number of Romanovs and Hapsburgs had links through Queen Victoria. Maybe Vlad could reconvene the Congress of Vienna.
Too bad for Putin he can't have W's job.
Gee. Sounds like every boss I've ever had of Director level or higher at any company I've ever worked for.
Replace power with income and that's basically my life goal.
A hidden advantage of our lecture circuit is that Bush can look forward to "replenishing the coffers" with very little actual work instead of plotting to stay in office.
I believe the position they're thinking of creating is called "National Leader" not "Supreme Leader" - http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2007/11/08/011.html
It looks like the Ethiopians aren't using their old imperial family for anything important at the moment, and the Ethiopian variant of Christianity seems close enough to Russian orthodoxy for government work. Zera Yacob Amha Selassie for Czar!
Whatever happened to the plan that he and the head of Gazprom would just switch places?
"Of course, Vlad's desire for more leisure time leads to an interesting quesiton: What does Vladmir Putin consider to be "fun?"
Posted by Shawn | November 8, 2007 3:56 PM"
Judo, feeling up random children on TV, stealing Super Bowl rings from Bob Kraft and bathing in the blood of Chechen infants.
IIRC there's nothing in the Russian constitution to stop Putin becoming prime minister.
Nominally he would be under a president, but given Putin's charisma and following he could become de facto shot-caller, while some stooge of a prez handled the ceremonial side. Not unlike Mikhail Kalinin: theoretically Stalin, as CP secretary, answered to him. It didn't stop Uncle Joe having Kalinin's wife sent to a camp.
Whatever, I hope a Tsardom is restored and other constitutional monarchies in Europe too. Republics are so passe and unstable, and have been ever since Octavian got rid of the Roman one.
As the Scandinavian and Low Countries and UK have shown again and again, "crowned republics" with a dynastic family as figureheads are the best bulwarks against an overpersonalized, democreatically validated tyranny. Had the Kaiser survived after 1918, there would have been no swearing of loyalty oaths to a mere upstart Reich Chancellor from Austria. Spain's transition to democracy was midwifed by restored monarchy.
The head of state/chief exec/CinC combo is a serious flaw in the US Constitution, a hangover from pre-19th century divine right and divine omnicompetence notions when the king had to be battle commander. With a klutz such as Bush Jr, one of the those roles is too much.
(And the Balkans have never been quiet since the Austria-Hungarian Empire fell. You'll never guess who made that point to me-- David Horowitz.)
The word to use for "supreme leader" is "Vozhd". Stalin used it as a title.
If an Austrian can govern California, why can't a Russian be President? At least Putin can keep the trains running on time.
"Don't forget the Sachs-Colbergs of Bulgaria, who, like the Hohenzollerns and a significant number of Romanovs and Hapsburgs had links through Queen Victoria."
Not to nitpick, but its Sachsen-Coburg (or Saxe-Coburg, if you want to anglicize) and Habsburg. And the link was not through Queen Victoria but her husband, Prince Albert, who himself was a Sachsen-Coburg.
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Comments closed November 22, 2007.
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Heads in the Sand
Putin was thinking about making himself Tsar? For real? That's mad.
Posted by John | November 8, 2007 3:55 PM