Hey, where's the vizier going?

Ukraine is fighting, Ukraine is winning. We are achieving the result at a very high price. Soon we will see a counteroffensive by our army - based on its results, our Western partners will decide what to do with Russia.

Our country is ideal for a foreigner. David with a javelin against Goliath on a tank. But what do we see inside?

I don't want to sound trite. Let's remember world history. It is cyclical. It repeats itself in detail, but never by going through identical stories. It's the details that are the best part. That's why everyone loves historical references. And I know how to make them.

There once was the Ottoman Empire. The tenth Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, ruled there at one time. And there was a vizier who led under him. Under him? You're sure?

His name was Pargali Ibrahim Pasha. He worked as a vizier for 13 years, during which time he achieved unprecedented success. The country did not improve. The Sultan's power was no breakthrough. Only the vizier had a good time, the rest were a little less fortunate.

Ibrahim Pasha did everything for himself despite the empire. I'm sure it reminds you of someone. By the way, the drama began with our genius coming to power.

In 1523 Piri Pasha resigned, he had been a vizier even before Suleiman the Magnificent. A change of elites. This is a typical renewal for an empire. Everyone was huffing and puffing for a new appointment: who would be Sultan's choice? Who would he trust? There were enough clans and pretenders around. But the sultan appointed Ibrahim to the post. Because he was a friend, that's all.

If I tell you that the top of the Ottoman empire has burned through its linen from such joy, consider that I have said nothing.

The appointment gave rise to petty conflicts. They deepened, giving echoes in all spheres and branches. The elite regarded Ibrahim as an upstart. They did not call him a man out of place. Accordingly, the staff of the new vizier was not trustworthy either. The army was unwilling to obey the new leadership. One of the viceroys revolted. The revolt was put down, but the result was disastrous.

The Sultan's friend managed to destroy the elites that had previously stood together. Enemies of the Ottoman Empire only dreamed of this. And he succeeded. Does this remind you of anything?

Ibrahim Pasha also took over diplomacy. According to contemporaries, the vizier behaved like a sultan: he was involved in signing agreements with kings, and he determined the nature of the prepared documents and their consequences for the Ottoman Empire. Does it remind you of anyone?

But the sultan lived in his imaginary world. His friend didn't get punched in the face for failing but got new positions. The vizier was building his influence. Does that remind you of anyone?

In 1534 Ibrahim got the right to command the march on Tabriz. Chief treasurer Iskender Chelebi took part in it. Ibrahim had a long-standing conflict with him, and here's the trouble - despite the success of the campaign, Iskender would soon be accused of disorganization of the troops' supply. He was hanged.
Of course, that is not our case. No one is hanged these days. But the style of pursuing petty interests at the expense of the state will remind you of someone.

In fact, with the victory over the treasurer, the Vizier's business was derailed. Not at once, of course. However, his influence cracked, and the elites began to wait for the right moment. The enemy stumbled. They did not have to wait long for the result. It was stunning.

What happened next, we do not know. All we know is that in March 1536 an unsuspecting vizier went to dinner with the Sultan. It was just Ramadan celebrations.

We also know that the next morning Ibrahim's body was found in his chambers. Something had happened. Ouch.

Even an authoritarian system knows how to clean itself. Any system. Democracy makes it possible to do so without sacrifice or collateral damage. That's why we love it so much. That's why we sometimes hate it.

The conflict between the elites has been resolved. Superfluous staff left, and some proxies had to work normally. The main irritant disappeared. The destroyer disappeared.

The vizier lived for profit. He left a lot of wealth. He managed to save it for a rainy day. Did it help? No. When death comes, we take nothing to the afterlife. The Vizier's stash was quickly examined and gutted. So they confiscated it.

History hides many teachable moments. It is essential to find them. After all, an upstart can rule all he wants and anger all he wants, that's true. But you have to remember the consequences.

The farther you pull the pendulum in your direction, the more vigorously it will bump you into the wall on the way back. Anything you steal will be taken away. Did you set someone up? Rest assured, you'll be framed, too. And if you've killed a rival, make a will for yourself, too, just in case.

These days, citizens don't hang anyone. Officially, at least. But the plot with the authoritarian upstart is too predictable. Replace the execution with a resignation, leave the confiscation in place - the same. A ready-made recipe.

We didn't get on well with the "magnificent" sultan, of course. But the other details are the same.

Any pasha knows: history is cyclical.