History provides us with a number of examples of nations or individuals riding a tiger they dare not dismount.
The ancient Spartans conquered and enslaved their neighbors, the Messenians, around 700 B.C. Fearing a bloody uprising, the Spartans redesigned their society to prevent such an event. Every Spartiate male was required to train as a soldier from the age of seven. They were forbidden to learn a trade or engage in commerce. As a result, Sparta developed none of the arts, sciences and philosophy that we associate with classical Greece. The system served its purpose for several centuries until wars and depopulation led to their loss against Thebes, who liberated their Messenian captives.
South Africa during the twentieth century faced a similar dilemma but were somehow able to safely dismount the tiger due to the wisdom and compassion of the leaders of their adversaries, notably Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. Modern day Israel may not be as fortunate as the leaders of Hamas are notably neither wise nor compassionate.
In terms of individuals there was Julius Caesar, whose overreach led to his assassination. There was Napoleon who ended up dying in exile in Saint Helena. There was Adolph Hitler who ended up shooting himself and his wife in his bunker as the allies closed in.
The two prime examples of riding the tiger in our day are Donald J. Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Donald Trump had been skirting the borders of legality for decades. He had been subject to hundreds, perhaps thousands of lawsuits by people he had wronged over the years-contractors he had not paid, victims of his fake university scam etc. In our legal system it is difficult for a middle-class person to successfully sue a billionaire because the legal expenses involved are so huge. A lawyer will tell you that, even if you win, which may take years, you will go broke in the meantime from legal expenses. A class action suit might work as it did in the Trump University scam, but that was certainly not a decisive blow to Trump’s fortunes. If Trump had not descended the escalator and become President, he would likely have flown under the legal radar indefinitely. Now, as a result of mounting the tiger of high political office he has been convicted of 34 felonies and is facing numerous federal and state charges. His only hope of remaining mounted on the tiger is to be reelected as President and that seems increasingly unlikely.
Putin quite successfully became the unchallenged leader of Russia, and would likely have remained so until he died. It was a tame tiger that he could have ridden indefinitely. Then he decided that wasn’t enough for him and he invaded his neighbor, Ukraine. This did not sit well with his adversaries who colluded to aid Ukraine and impose economic sanctions to cripple the Russian economy. The invasion failed to accomplish their goal of overcoming Ukrainian resistance within a week, overthrowing the government and incorporating Ukraine into the Russian federation. After two and a half years the Ukrainians are still fighting back and have even taken a bite of Russian soil. The Russian people are becoming disillusioned and restive, and the future does not look rosy for Putin.
This is why it is wise to study history before mounting a tiger you dare not dismount.
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