As for McFaul and others, their conclusions may well be distorted by the echo effect described in your previous piece, "A Frictionless Perspective".
My view of Putin can be summed up in four adjectives:
stupid, greedy, cowardly, and vain.
And his worldview as Russia’s president can be reduced to one thing: staying in power no matter what. If only because, unlike Starmer, who left office, Putin would face prison or death if he ever did the same.
So far, everything I have observed in his actions confirms this.
A thoughtful and necessary argument, Robert. The most dangerous bubble, however, may not be the one inside an individual mind, but the one institutionalized within a decision-making system.
When dissent is filtered out, red teams become ceremonial, and analysis is rewarded for confirming leadership assumptions, perspective ceases to be merely biased; it becomes structurally insulated. Intelligence can then make the bubble more coherent without making it more accurate.
Friction is therefore more than exposure to different opinions. It must be deliberately engineered into the architecture of decision-making, before events impose a far harsher form of correction.
Very true. Thank you, Osamah! I am working toward your point in a short series of posts. I believe you will like Monday’s essay “Assessing Putin’s Worldview: The Unintended Consequences of the Unexamined.”
Thank you, Robert. I’ll be looking forward to it—as I always do with your writing. Minds and voices like yours are rare, and truly a treasure. Drawing on what I experienced in Syria, I have often found something structurally familiar in the Russian model—not because the two systems are identical, but because institutions gradually cease to mediate power and instead become extensions of one leader’s assumptions.
When the worldview of an entire state is compressed into a single person, assessing that person’s worldview is no longer merely biographical or psychological; it becomes an assessment of the decision-making system itself, including the unintended consequences produced by what it refuses—or is unable—to examine.
Robert: So true. Couldn't agree more. I tell our residents and fellows all the time that the only way we get better in any endeavor is to step outside that comfort zone(bubble). We have to experience difficulty or we don't improve. Do it the same way over and over against the same level of resistance and we stagnate. True in any aspect of life. Step outside. Encounter hardship.
A very interesting idea.
As for McFaul and others, their conclusions may well be distorted by the echo effect described in your previous piece, "A Frictionless Perspective".
My view of Putin can be summed up in four adjectives:
stupid, greedy, cowardly, and vain.
And his worldview as Russia’s president can be reduced to one thing: staying in power no matter what. If only because, unlike Starmer, who left office, Putin would face prison or death if he ever did the same.
So far, everything I have observed in his actions confirms this.
I appreciate your perspective. And, thank you very much for your comments.
A thoughtful and necessary argument, Robert. The most dangerous bubble, however, may not be the one inside an individual mind, but the one institutionalized within a decision-making system.
When dissent is filtered out, red teams become ceremonial, and analysis is rewarded for confirming leadership assumptions, perspective ceases to be merely biased; it becomes structurally insulated. Intelligence can then make the bubble more coherent without making it more accurate.
Friction is therefore more than exposure to different opinions. It must be deliberately engineered into the architecture of decision-making, before events impose a far harsher form of correction.
Very true. Thank you, Osamah! I am working toward your point in a short series of posts. I believe you will like Monday’s essay “Assessing Putin’s Worldview: The Unintended Consequences of the Unexamined.”
Thank you, Robert. I’ll be looking forward to it—as I always do with your writing. Minds and voices like yours are rare, and truly a treasure. Drawing on what I experienced in Syria, I have often found something structurally familiar in the Russian model—not because the two systems are identical, but because institutions gradually cease to mediate power and instead become extensions of one leader’s assumptions.
When the worldview of an entire state is compressed into a single person, assessing that person’s worldview is no longer merely biographical or psychological; it becomes an assessment of the decision-making system itself, including the unintended consequences produced by what it refuses—or is unable—to examine.
Robert: So true. Couldn't agree more. I tell our residents and fellows all the time that the only way we get better in any endeavor is to step outside that comfort zone(bubble). We have to experience difficulty or we don't improve. Do it the same way over and over against the same level of resistance and we stagnate. True in any aspect of life. Step outside. Encounter hardship.
Get better. Thanks, Paul
Exactly, friction or resistance is important for growth. Thank you, Paul! I appreciate your comments.
Nice to hear your voice. My favorite is listening to the author as they read their own work. Listening now while maing coffee.
I always wonder who listens versus reading. Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate you!
I am a listener so I can multitask :) Thus my avatar 😆
Better than I could have said it.
Thank you! 🙏🏻
Very interesting point. Very similar to the perspectivism of José Ortega Y Gasset (spanish philosopher)
Your reference is great. Thank you!