- 13 hours ago
The secret code of elites—America, Europe, China, Russia. Who rules your world?
👉 What World Leaders NEED to Know about Russia: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6d9EIByxz1AdkmIOYUlrDd0rmByq5zSN
Elites write laws, spend public money, and shape the stories we live inside. In this episode, Elvira Bary decodes how power really works by comparing elite “codes” across America, Europe, China, and Russia—championship vs. belonging, display vs. survival—and shows how status, resources, danger, usefulness, and narrative combine to produce very different ruling classes. From America’s corridors of power to Europe’s aristocratic habits, China’s performance of stability, and Russia’s clan-based siloviki, we map the patterns behind today’s conflicts and why cooperation so often fails.
Video Chapters:
00:00 The Secret Key to Decoding Those Who Rule Your World
01:49 What Does It Mean to Be an Elite
07:14 American Elites
11:04 European Elites
14:33 Chinese Elites
22:05 Russian Elites
29:11 Why Elites Cannot Cooperate
👉 JOIN ME ON THE JOURNEY Sign-up for news about the New Book here: https://elvirabary.com/elvira-barys-newsletter/
MY HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK SERIES
➡️ Russian Treasur
👉 What World Leaders NEED to Know about Russia: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6d9EIByxz1AdkmIOYUlrDd0rmByq5zSN
Elites write laws, spend public money, and shape the stories we live inside. In this episode, Elvira Bary decodes how power really works by comparing elite “codes” across America, Europe, China, and Russia—championship vs. belonging, display vs. survival—and shows how status, resources, danger, usefulness, and narrative combine to produce very different ruling classes. From America’s corridors of power to Europe’s aristocratic habits, China’s performance of stability, and Russia’s clan-based siloviki, we map the patterns behind today’s conflicts and why cooperation so often fails.
Video Chapters:
00:00 The Secret Key to Decoding Those Who Rule Your World
01:49 What Does It Mean to Be an Elite
07:14 American Elites
11:04 European Elites
14:33 Chinese Elites
22:05 Russian Elites
29:11 Why Elites Cannot Cooperate
👉 JOIN ME ON THE JOURNEY Sign-up for news about the New Book here: https://elvirabary.com/elvira-barys-newsletter/
MY HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK SERIES
➡️ Russian Treasur
Category
đź“š
LearningTranscript
00:00Our lives are set by people in tailored suits, those who write laws, spend our taxes, and
00:09quietly redraw the rules we live by.
00:12We call them elites, the few who control resources, force, and stories.
00:19From that control flows status.
00:21From status, power.
00:23To understand the chaos around us, we have to understand them, who they are, what they
00:29want, and what keeps them awake at night.
00:31And we have to compare them, because elites are not the same everywhere.
00:37Their codes differ by country, and much of today's turbulence begins exactly there.
00:45I am Vera Barry, a writer born in the Soviet Union.
00:49Today, we'll take a bird's eye view on modern elites and search for the hidden patterns
00:56driving the world's political drama.
00:59Here's our journey.
01:01What does it mean to be an elite?
01:04America's corridors of power.
01:06Europe and its aristocracies.
01:09China and its not-so-communist party.
01:13Russia and its eternal fears.
01:16Why elites cannot cooperate.
01:19If we grasp what elites value, we can predict what they'll fight for.
01:24If we grasp what they fear, we'll know when they bend or cooperate.
01:31If independent analysis matters to you, subscribe, like, share, or join my think tank.
01:38Or support via PayPal or Superfanks.
01:41So, conversations like this can exist without permission.
01:47Let's begin with the foundation.
01:49What does it mean to be an elite?
01:54We are primates who live in hierarchies, and our behavior is hardwired to reflect that.
02:01Every attempt to build a perfectly equal society has failed because ambitious individuals still strive to lead, to distinguish themselves
02:12from the rest, and many of those without ambition instinctively seek someone to follow, especially in moments of uncertainty.
02:21We build hierarchies everywhere, in a kindergarten classroom, on a factory floor, in the army, even in prison.
02:31People automatically sort themselves into groups that form a pyramid.
02:37Everyone somehow knows who's important or cool or dangerous.
02:44Status always comes down to attention.
02:48Those who attract it are seen as important, even if they do so as public enemies or victims.
02:57That's why victimhood so often imitates true status.
03:01And why online provocations work.
03:04From safe distance, steering others' aggression becomes a way to harvest visibility without real risk.
03:12But that kind of attention is fleeting.
03:16It burns out as quickly as it flares up.
03:20True status, the kind that lasts and builds real power, comes from five deeper sources.
03:29The first is danger.
03:32The ability or willingness to use aggression, or at least to look like someone who can.
03:38Even appearing capable of directing others to use aggression on your behalf creates a similar effect.
03:45Why does a knight with a sword seem more fascinating than a peasant?
03:51Why does a tiger hold our gaze more than a deer?
03:55Why does a mafia boss command attention the moment he walks into a room?
04:00And why does small Israel draw more global fascination than vast Brazil or Indonesia?
04:07Because danger, or the perception of it, captures the human mind.
04:13The second source of attention is control and distribution of resources.
04:18Money, land, jobs, or influence.
04:20A boss matters because he pays salaries.
04:24A congressman matters because he helps allocate budgets.
04:28Parents matter because they provide the resources a child needs to survive.
04:33Whoever holds the purse strings or access to opportunity instantly becomes a node of power.
04:42The third is usefulness.
04:44Usefulness comes in many forms.
04:47Solving problems, offering help, and creating something valuable.
04:52Doctors and lawyers enjoy high status for precisely this reason.
04:57The more you can get from someone, knowledge, support, or rescue,
05:02the more important that person becomes to you.
05:05The fourth is possession of something others want, but cannot easily obtain.
05:12Beauty, talent, fame, noble birth, athletic achievement.
05:18These forms of scarcity make others orbit around you.
05:23Society treats such traits as natural proof of worth,
05:27even when they are largely accidents of birth or luck.
05:33And finally, the most powerful of all is the ability to create and control narratives
05:41that inspire people to act together.
05:44Narratives can turn someone into a saint or pariah.
05:48They transform ordinary men into soldiers willing to die for the homeland or the faith.
05:56Even the mightiest rulers vanish from history if they fail to create a story around themselves.
06:05But those who do end up on the national currency.
06:10In modern societies, elites are those who combine these five forces in varying proportions,
06:16which shapes their character and agenda.
06:19But before we study them, let me recommend my novel The Prince of the Soviets.
06:24It tells the story of how, after the Russian Revolution,
06:28the old elite has destroyed and a new one rose to replace it.
06:34Not nobles or politicians this time, but nomenklatura.
06:39And foreign journalists who suddenly found themselves treated like aristocracy in Stalin's Moscow.
06:47Why foreign journalists?
06:49Because those people had what no one else in the Soviet Union did.
06:54Freedom.
06:56Freedom to leave the country.
06:58Freedom from dependence on the state.
07:01Freedom that came with foreign currency.
07:04Money that opened doors to special stores and privileges reserved only for the chosen few.
07:11A pretty cool story indeed.
07:13American elites.
07:19The American elite is built on the principle of championship.
07:23Even if you are born into the right family,
07:26you must constantly prove that you are a high achiever.
07:31Everyone watches one another,
07:33quietly measuring where do I stand,
07:35how much have others accomplished,
07:38and why does my personal hall of fame look so modest compared to theirs.
07:45It's a constant balancing act,
07:48wanting to fit in,
07:50to be cool like the others,
07:52and at the same time,
07:54to stand out.
07:56Teenagers face the same dilemma around the world,
07:59and that's no coincidence.
08:02America is a young country,
08:04and its elites behave like ambitious teenagers.
08:08Competitive,
08:09restless,
08:10and eager to impress.
08:12There are three main ways to enter the American elite.
08:16First,
08:16be born into the right family
08:18and follow the trail your ancestors have already carved
08:22through legacy schools,
08:24old money circles,
08:26and established networks.
08:28Second,
08:29achieve something extraordinary,
08:31in your field,
08:32whether in business,
08:34technology,
08:34sports,
08:35or entertainment.
08:36Third,
08:37climb the institutional ladder,
08:39prep schools,
08:41Ivy League universities,
08:43elite internships,
08:44and alumni networks.
08:46Then,
08:48keep producing measurable results
08:50that push your career forward.
08:52All free paths
08:53demand exceptional discipline,
08:56ambition,
08:56and social agility.
08:58It is a system
09:00that rewards those
09:01who can run the race
09:03without collapsing,
09:04and who always look good doing it.
09:07Not everyone can,
09:08which is why
09:09the upper floors of American power
09:11attract a very specific psychological type.
09:14They are not necessarily
09:16the wisest
09:18or the most ethical.
09:19They are the ones
09:21who can endure pressure
09:22and project success.
09:24In this world,
09:25burnout is common
09:27and hypocrisy is everywhere
09:29because the system
09:31forces its players
09:32to perform strength,
09:34optimism,
09:34and virtue
09:35at all times.
09:37The greatest social crime here
09:40is being perceived
09:41as a loser.
09:42The American elite
09:43lives in a paradox.
09:45They must appear
09:46to represent ordinary people
09:48and win their sympathy,
09:50yet at the same time,
09:51they must stand apart
09:53as champions,
09:55proving they have
09:56little in common
09:57with mere mortals.
09:59In practice,
10:00much of their energy
10:01goes into performing
10:02relatability
10:03while fiercely guarding
10:04their sense of superiority.
10:07American ideology
10:08demands that elites
10:10promote equality,
10:11progress,
10:12and inclusion.
10:13Yet,
10:14their personal success
10:17depends on
10:18staying above
10:19the crowd
10:20and protecting
10:21the system
10:22that feed them
10:23and their sponsors.
10:25That's why
10:26politicians
10:27spend decades
10:29virtue signaling,
10:30proclaiming their
10:31moral goodness
10:33while changing
10:34almost nothing
10:35in the areas
10:36that affect
10:37most Americans.
10:38The archaic
10:39presidential election
10:40and tax systems,
10:42the costly
10:42and convoluted
10:43legal and healthcare
10:44systems,
10:45violence and dysfunction
10:47in immigration policy
10:49amid population aging,
10:51economic dependency
10:52on China
10:53and the loss
10:54of manufacturing jobs
10:55while consumers
10:57still demand
10:59cheap goods
10:59at Walmart.
11:01The result?
11:02A deep erosion
11:03of trust.
11:05European elites
11:10If American elites
11:11are built
11:12on the principle
11:12of championship,
11:14European elites
11:15are built
11:15on the principle
11:16of belonging.
11:18Their legitimacy
11:19doesn't come
11:20from constant achievement,
11:21but from knowing
11:23the right people,
11:24speaking in the right tone
11:25and signaling
11:27that they are part
11:28of a lineage,
11:29whether it's
11:30a noble family,
11:31an academic tradition
11:33or a long-standing
11:34corporate dynasty.
11:36In Europe,
11:37status is not measured
11:39by how high you climb,
11:41but by how gracefully
11:43you stay.
11:44Western Europe
11:44still lives
11:45under the long shadow
11:46of aristocracy.
11:48Even though nobility
11:49has lost its formal privileges,
11:51its spirit endures
11:53in taste,
11:54manners,
11:55education
11:55and networks.
11:57Yet,
11:58the modern Western European elite
12:00is a hybrid.
12:01Old money merged
12:03with new technocrats,
12:05bureaucrats
12:05and financiers.
12:07Their children
12:08attend the same
12:09elite universities,
12:11Oxford,
12:11Cambridge
12:12and Sorbonne,
12:13Bocconi.
12:15Success in this world
12:16is about continuity,
12:19keeping the system
12:20elegant,
12:21predictable
12:22and intact.
12:24Eastern Europe
12:25tells a different story.
12:27The collapse
12:28of communism
12:28in the 1990s
12:30erased the old order
12:32and left behind
12:33a vacuum
12:34of legitimacy.
12:36Into this vacuum
12:37stabbed a curious mix
12:39of former party officials,
12:41opportunistic entrepreneurs
12:43and Western-educated technocrats.
12:46power was no longer
12:48inherited.
12:49It was seized
12:50through insider knowledge,
12:53privatization
12:54and foreign partnerships.
12:56For many in the East,
12:58being European,
13:00became a new mark
13:01of status,
13:02a way to separate themselves
13:03from the provincial
13:05and Soviet past.
13:07Alignment
13:08with Western norms
13:09became not only
13:11a political statement,
13:12but a social one.
13:14proof of modernity
13:16and belonging.
13:17Europe's elite world
13:18is ruled
13:18by cultural subtlety.
13:21Flesh ambition
13:21is frowned upon.
13:23Quiet confidence
13:24is a true currency.
13:26You don't show wealth,
13:28you suggest it.
13:30You don't shout about success,
13:32you let others agree,
13:34discreetly,
13:35that you are successful.
13:37The greatest challenge
13:39facing European elites
13:40today is relevance.
13:41Inherited prestige
13:43no longer guarantees
13:45public trust.
13:46To the younger generation,
13:48institutions like monarchies,
13:50banks
13:50and Brussels bureaucracies
13:52seem distant,
13:54self-serving
13:55and obsolete.
13:56Meanwhile,
13:57the social fabric
13:58of Europe
13:59is changing.
14:00Migration,
14:01both from abroad
14:02and within Europe itself,
14:04is reshaping
14:06demographics
14:06and culture.
14:07Smaller towns
14:09empty into larger cities,
14:10cultural borders
14:12blur.
14:13The economic balance
14:15that sustained
14:16Europe for decades,
14:17relying on the United States
14:19for defense
14:19and on Russia
14:20for energy,
14:21has collapsed.
14:23The new reality
14:24demands change,
14:26but real change
14:27disrupts
14:29the equilibrium
14:30that European elites
14:31are trained
14:32to preserve.
14:33Chinese elites
14:38The key principle
14:39that defines
14:40the modern Chinese elite
14:41is making an impression.
14:44Or, in other words,
14:46saving face.
14:47Their entire system
14:49of power revolves
14:50around maintaining
14:51appearances,
14:52performing strength
14:54and giving themselves
14:55a constant political
14:57facelift
14:57to project confidence
14:59and control.
15:00Success must not only
15:02be achieved,
15:03it must be displayed.
15:05Every accomplishment,
15:07position
15:07and privilege
15:08is a performance
15:10designed to confirm
15:11both personal power
15:13and the stability
15:14of the system
15:15that grants it.
15:16The Chinese passion
15:17for ceremony,
15:18grandeur
15:18and scale
15:19is rooted
15:20in this need
15:21to be seen,
15:22admired
15:23and obeyed.
15:25This pattern
15:25is ancient,
15:26but it took
15:27a new shape
15:28in modern times.
15:29The old Chinese elites
15:31of the imperial
15:32and republican eras,
15:34landowners,
15:35merchants
15:36and scholars,
15:37were wiped out
15:38after 1949
15:40when the communist regime
15:42came to power.
15:43Some perished
15:44during the wars
15:45and repressions.
15:47Others fled abroad
15:48or quietly
15:49disappeared
15:50into the masses.
15:51I have a Chinese friend
15:52whose grandfather
15:54owned a chain
15:55of department stores
15:56in Shanghai.
15:57His children
15:58under the new order
16:00became humble workers
16:02in a canteen.
16:03The new ruling class
16:04looked different.
16:05They dressed like
16:06common people,
16:07spoke like them
16:08and were supposed
16:09to embody
16:10the ideas
16:11of social modesty,
16:13but their access
16:14to privileges
16:15set them apart.
16:17Soon,
16:18like elites
16:19in every socialist system,
16:21they were
16:22preaching equality
16:23while enjoying
16:24special shops,
16:26special housing
16:27and special rights.
16:29Having resources
16:31and letting others
16:32know you have them
16:33became a core marker
16:35of status.
16:37Today,
16:38nothing remains
16:39of Marxist ideals.
16:40Yet,
16:41the party
16:42cannot admit it.
16:43The old ideology
16:44still provides
16:45the justification
16:46for one-party rule.
16:48It explains
16:49why China
16:50has no democracy
16:51and why
16:52the Communist Party
16:53meaning the elite
16:55must control
16:56everything,
16:57including the right
16:58to use violence
16:59against its own citizens.
17:01As Marxism
17:02fades,
17:04nationalism
17:04fills the void.
17:06It's more
17:07emotionally direct,
17:08more rooted
17:09in everyday experience
17:10and it conveniently
17:12shifts blame
17:13outward
17:14to foreign forces
17:16and hostile powers.
17:18It also aligns
17:20perfectly
17:21with collective memory.
17:22Since the Opium Wars,
17:25China endured
17:25a century
17:26of humiliation,
17:28occupation,
17:28exploitation
17:29and decay
17:30under weak governments.
17:32That trauma
17:33is still alive
17:34in the Chinese imagination.
17:36To understand
17:37how it shaped
17:38modern China,
17:39I recommend
17:40my novel
17:41The White Ghost Empire
17:42set in Shanghai
17:44of the 1920s,
17:45a world
17:46some called
17:47the splendor
17:48of the East
17:48and others
17:49the horror
17:51of Asia.
17:51In China,
17:53the demolition
17:54of old ideologies
17:55always brings turmoil.
17:57And change
17:58in Chinese history
17:59is often catastrophic.
18:01The Taiping rebellion
18:02of the mid-19th century
18:04killed up to
18:0530 million people
18:07a hundred years later.
18:09The Great Chinese
18:10Famine of 1959-1962
18:13took between
18:1420 and 45 million lives.
18:17Roughly,
18:18the entire population
18:19of modern Poland
18:20wiped out
18:21in three years.
18:23This is why
18:24everyone
18:25from the top
18:26to the bottom
18:27fears instability.
18:29The safest way
18:30to survive
18:31is to maintain
18:32the illusion
18:33of harmony.
18:33problems
18:35are swept
18:35under the rug.
18:37Success
18:38is loudly
18:39displayed.
18:40The public
18:42believes
18:42the country
18:43is thriving
18:43while foreigners
18:45dazzled by numbers
18:47and skyscrapers
18:48invest in
18:49the Chinese miracle.
18:51Power in China
18:52is stable
18:52only as long
18:53as it controls
18:54the narrative.
18:55Today,
18:56that narrative
18:56says,
18:57the Communist Party
18:58guided by
18:59patriotism,
19:00strategic vision
19:01and independence
19:02from hostile
19:04foreign forces
19:04is leading
19:06the Chinese people
19:06toward a bright future.
19:09The evidence
19:10continues
19:11economic growth.
19:13This perfectly
19:14fits the
19:15traditional belief
19:16that prosperity
19:17is proof
19:18of heaven's favor.
19:20When the people
19:21prosper,
19:22heaven smiles
19:23on the rulers.
19:25The modern elite
19:26is a fusion
19:27of communist
19:28officials
19:28and businessmen
19:29closely tied
19:31to the state.
19:32Within it
19:32exists
19:33the princeling
19:35class,
19:36descendants
19:36of the
19:37revolutionary generation
19:39who founded
19:40the People's Republic.
19:41Their names
19:42carry legitimacy
19:43and give them
19:45privileged access
19:46to everything.
19:47yet bureaucratic
19:48talent still
19:49matters.
19:50Ambitious
19:50cadres
19:51climb through
19:52provincial posts
19:53and performance
19:54reviews before
19:55reaching national
19:56positions.
19:57Meanwhile,
19:58millions of
20:00rural residents
20:01bound by the
20:02Hukou system
20:03remain second-class
20:05citizens.
20:06Their labor
20:07sustains the economy
20:08but their voices
20:09are silent.
20:11Unlike European
20:12elites who
20:13prize understatement,
20:15China's ruling
20:16class
20:16practices
20:17conspicuous
20:18consumption.
20:20To be taken
20:21seriously,
20:22one must
20:22display wealth,
20:24designer brands,
20:25luxury cars,
20:27and imported
20:28art.
20:28China now
20:29accounts for
20:30nearly 40%
20:31of global
20:32luxury sales.
20:34Displaying success
20:35has become
20:36a social ritual,
20:38a fast and
20:39efficient way
20:40to measure
20:41one's place
20:42in the hierarchy.
20:43These games of
20:44glamour
20:44have limits,
20:45though.
20:46From time to
20:47time,
20:47the party
20:48stages public
20:49punishments
20:50of corrupt
20:50officials,
20:51sacrifices to
20:52appease public
20:53anger.
20:53It is a ritual
20:55cleansing,
20:56a symbolic
20:57offering to
20:57the dragon
20:58so that it
20:59sleeps
20:59instead of
21:01burning down
21:02the castles
21:02the elites
21:03have built
21:04for themselves.
21:05Yet,
21:06nobody wants
21:07to become
21:08that sacrifice.
21:09So,
21:10like the elites
21:10in every
21:11authoritarian society,
21:13the Chinese elite
21:14quietly move
21:15their money
21:16and families
21:16abroad.
21:17American and
21:18British universities
21:19are full of
21:20Chinese students
21:21whose parents
21:22pay enormous
21:23sums,
21:24hoping their
21:24children will
21:25find a way
21:26to secure
21:26a residency
21:27or marriage
21:28in the West.
21:29That's why
21:30entire neighborhoods
21:31of multi-million
21:32dollar homes
21:33have appeared
21:34in California
21:35and British
21:36Columbia,
21:37Mediterranean
21:37in architecture,
21:39Chinese in population.
21:41The central
21:41contradiction of
21:42Chinese elite
21:43is this.
21:45They earn
21:46wealth and
21:47power through
21:48corruption,
21:49exploitation
21:49and globalization,
21:51but must
21:51pretend their
21:52main concern
21:53is patriotism
21:55and socialism
21:56with Chinese
21:57characteristics.
21:58They live
21:59between two
22:00worlds,
22:01preaching
22:01virtue
22:02and practicing
22:04privilege.
22:05Russian elites
22:09The problems
22:11that plague
22:11China's elites
22:12are also
22:13deeply familiar
22:14in Russia.
22:15When power
22:16is usurped
22:17and national
22:18wealth
22:19is quietly
22:20redirected
22:20into private
22:21hands,
22:22the rulers
22:23must invent
22:23some moral
22:25justification
22:25for it.
22:26The interests
22:27of the elite
22:28inevitably collide
22:29with those
22:30of the people
22:30they claim
22:31to serve
22:32and so
22:32they build
22:33an ideology
22:34to explain
22:35why things
22:36must stay
22:38exactly
22:38as they are.
22:40Authoritarian regimes
22:42learn from
22:42one another,
22:44borrowing methods,
22:45testing what works
22:47and they all
22:48arrive at the
22:49same conclusion.
22:51Nationalism
22:52is the most
22:53effective tool.
22:55It turns
22:56frustration
22:56into unity,
22:58anger
22:58into loyalty
22:59and fear
23:00into obedience.
23:02While Russia's
23:03elite behave
23:04in many ways
23:05like China's,
23:06their core
23:07obsession
23:08is not
23:08appearance,
23:09it's
23:10safety.
23:11In Chinese history,
23:13the enemy
23:14was always
23:14visible.
23:16Rebels,
23:17invaders
23:17or foreign
23:18occupiers.
23:19In Russia,
23:20the danger
23:21comes from
23:21within.
23:22The true
23:23enemy is
23:24never clear
23:24until it's
23:25too late.
23:26Whether you
23:27are a czar,
23:28a minister
23:28or a businessman,
23:30the greatest
23:31threat is
23:31the conspiracy
23:32you don't
23:33see coming.
23:34Someone
23:35invisible
23:36might
23:36undercut you,
23:38send a hitman
23:39or unleash
23:40the faceless
23:41machinery of
23:42the state
23:42against you.
23:43In a few
23:44days,
23:45your fortune,
23:46your reputation
23:47and your
23:48family's future
23:48can be erased.
23:50In this
23:50system,
23:51people are
23:52not sacrificed
23:52to impress
23:53the public
23:54as in China.
23:55but to
23:56appease
23:57the ruler.
23:58If Putin
23:59is angry
24:00with the
24:00Ministry of
24:01Defense
24:01for its
24:02failures
24:02in Ukraine,
24:04the state
24:04will promptly
24:05deliver him
24:06the heads
24:07of those
24:08deemed
24:08responsible.
24:09If a
24:10businessman
24:11in Chelyabinsk
24:12crosses the
24:13local security
24:13services,
24:15they will
24:15devour him
24:16by breakfast.
24:17This is why
24:18the fears
24:18of the Russian
24:19elite often
24:20take on
24:20a mystical
24:21quality.
24:22They fear
24:24the abstract,
24:25the unseen,
24:26the distant,
24:27and the
24:28inexplicable.
24:30The wrath
24:31of a superior
24:32they've never
24:34met.
24:35The hostile
24:36West that
24:37has never
24:37actually harmed
24:38them.
24:39The phantom
24:40invasion by
24:41NATO.
24:42Or the
24:42imagined
24:43decay brought
24:44by the rise
24:45of LGBT
24:46rights.
24:47Their anxieties
24:48are not about
24:49real threats.
24:50They are about
24:51forces they
24:52cannot understand
24:53or control.
24:54Power in Russia
24:55belongs to
24:56those who
24:56command structures
24:58capable of
24:58collective violence.
25:00Since Soviet
25:02times,
25:03these have been
25:04the men in
25:05uniform.
25:06The so-called
25:07Siloviki
25:08from the word
25:09Silla means
25:10force.
25:11The army
25:12itself is far
25:14away, slogging
25:15from mud in
25:15Ukrainian fields
25:16and wielding
25:17little political
25:18weight.
25:19Their real
25:20power lies
25:21with prosecutors,
25:23the interior
25:24ministry,
25:25the intelligence
25:26agencies and
25:28above all
25:29the FSB,
25:31the successor
25:32of the KGB.
25:34Money still
25:34matters, of
25:35course.
25:36Oligarchs are
25:37part of the
25:38elite, but
25:39only as long
25:40as they have
25:41reliable patrons
25:42among the
25:43Siloviki.
25:44The same rule
25:44applies to
25:45governors and
25:47federal officials.
25:48To survive,
25:49one must
25:50belong to
25:50a clan.
25:51These are
25:52not family
25:53clans in the
25:54traditional sense,
25:55but vertical
25:56networks of
25:57mutual benefit,
25:58systems of
25:59favors and
26:00loyalty where
26:01everyone knows
26:02their place.
26:03A powerful
26:04official builds
26:05a clientele of
26:07subordinates who
26:08profit from
26:09state contracts
26:10and in turn
26:11they protect
26:13his interests.
26:14Everyone steals
26:15because stealing
26:16is what defines
26:18participation in
26:19power.
26:20As the state's
26:21resources shrink,
26:23competition
26:24intensifies.
26:25In Russia's
26:26mindset, money
26:28is not just
26:29wealth, it is
26:30security.
26:32If things go
26:33wrong, you can
26:34buy safety
26:35or flee.
26:37No one cares
26:38that the economy
26:38stagnates.
26:40Money is made
26:41not by creating
26:42a value, but
26:43by extracting
26:44it from oil,
26:45gas and
26:46whatever can
26:47still be sold
26:48abroad.
26:48The Russian
26:49elite is largely
26:50hereditary.
26:51Around 60% of
26:53today's senior
26:53officials are
26:54descendants of
26:55Soviet
26:56nomenklatura,
26:57the privileged
26:59bureaucratic
26:59caste of the
27:01past.
27:01The rest
27:02rose by luck
27:03through timely
27:04allegiance to
27:05the right
27:05clan.
27:06For example,
27:07when one
27:07official moves
27:09from provinces
27:10to Moscow,
27:11he brings his
27:12trusted people
27:12with him.
27:13I've seen it
27:14happen once.
27:15Obscure young
27:17aides from the
27:18Volga region are
27:19now key players
27:20in media and
27:21culture, simply
27:23because they
27:23followed their
27:24patron, Sergei
27:26Kiriyenko, into
27:27the Kremlin.
27:29Putin's regime
27:30has made the
27:31Russian elite
27:32unimaginably
27:33rich, richer
27:35than most
27:35Westerners can
27:36fathom, rivaling
27:38Gulf oil
27:39princes.
27:39But that wealth
27:40is trapped.
27:41Sanctions and
27:42distrust abroad
27:43have crippled
27:45their cosmopolitan
27:46lifestyle.
27:47Many can no
27:48longer travel
27:49freely, not
27:50only because
27:51foreign countries
27:52bar them, but
27:53because their
27:54own superiors
27:55won't allow it.
27:57Being part of
27:58the security
27:58elite means
28:00power and
28:01privilege, but
28:02also confinement.
28:04Everything is
28:04opaque.
28:05Nobody knows
28:06what happens
28:07one floor above.
28:08Like their
28:09Chinese
28:09counterparts, Russian
28:11elites rely on
28:12narrative control
28:13to justify their
28:14position.
28:15At first, that
28:16narrative was
28:17about restoring
28:18the glory of
28:19the Soviet Union.
28:20The invasion
28:21of Ukraine was
28:23meant to crown
28:24this revival.
28:25But when the
28:26war turned
28:27disastrous, the
28:28story changed.
28:30Now the
28:30regime claims to
28:31be defending
28:32traditional values
28:33against a
28:34corrupt and
28:35decaying West.
28:36It's a convenient
28:37rebranding that
28:39appeals to
28:40conservative
28:40audiences both
28:41inside and
28:43outside Russia.
28:44The code of
28:45survival in
28:46Russia is
28:46simple.
28:47Belong to a
28:48powerful clan,
28:50display absolute
28:51loyalty, and
28:53protect yourself
28:54with money.
28:55And for the
28:56soul, add a
28:57dose of
28:58nationalism.
28:59Almost everyone
29:01in the elite
29:01shares the
29:02belief that to
29:03be Russian is
29:04to be
29:05exceptional,
29:06mysterious,
29:07misunderstood,
29:08and destined
29:09to suffer for
29:10greatness.
29:11Why Elites
29:12Cannot Copyright
29:15The conflicts
29:17unfolding across
29:18the world today
29:19are, in their
29:20core, conflicts
29:22between elites.
29:23If we look
29:24closely, we'll
29:25see that these
29:26struggles are
29:27not truly about
29:28territory, or
29:30even about money,
29:31as many assume.
29:32What's being
29:33played out is
29:34an ancient
29:35drama of
29:36dominance, scaled
29:38up from tribal
29:39hierarchies to
29:40the level of
29:41nation-states.
29:42Each elite
29:43class is trying
29:44to prove its
29:45own significance,
29:47secure its
29:47place in the
29:48global order
29:49according to
29:50its own
29:51worldview, and
29:52protect its
29:53safety, legacy,
29:55and pride.
29:55As we can
29:56see, all
29:57global elites
29:58share the same
29:59chronic hypocrisy.
30:00They claim to
30:01represent the
30:02people and to
30:03defend their
30:04interests.
30:05Yet, this is
30:06an obvious
30:07fiction.
30:08Elites have no
30:09intention of
30:10changing the
30:11systems that
30:12made them
30:12powerful.
30:13Those very
30:14systems are
30:16what carried
30:17them to the
30:17top of the
30:18social pyramid.
30:19What they
30:20truly want is
30:22to reshape
30:23the outside
30:24world in the
30:25ways that
30:26elevate them,
30:27not just to
30:28the top of
30:29their own
30:29nations, but
30:30to the top
30:31of the
30:32world's
30:32hierarchy.
30:33For the
30:34American elite,
30:35the ideal world
30:36is one where
30:38humanity
30:39marches toward
30:40progress under
30:41US leadership.
30:43America is
30:44ahead in
30:45every field,
30:47admired by
30:48all, and
30:49its role is
30:50to save
30:50others, because
30:52saving the
30:53world is part
30:54of the
30:54American
30:54identity.
30:55For the
30:56European elite,
30:57the ideal world
30:58is one of
30:58cultural
30:59sophistication,
31:00compromise,
31:01and stability.
31:02After
31:02millennia of
31:03endless wars,
31:05Europe
31:05earns for
31:06peace.
31:07It wants to
31:08remain a
31:09moral and
31:10intellectual
31:10benchmark, a
31:12continent of
31:13art, reason,
31:14and empathy.
31:15But when the
31:16world demands
31:17that Europe
31:18act as a
31:19savior again,
31:20it grows
31:21frustrated.
31:22It prefers
31:23diplomacy to
31:24heroism.
31:25for the
31:26Chinese elite,
31:27there is
31:28both a
31:29minimum and
31:30maximum plan.
31:31The
31:32maximum plan
31:32is permanent
31:33growth and
31:34the fulfillment
31:35of the
31:36national myth
31:37that China
31:38is the
31:38middle
31:39kingdom,
31:39the natural
31:40center of
31:41science,
31:42art,
31:42and innovation.
31:43The problem
31:44is that an
31:45authoritarian regime
31:46cannot truly
31:47deliver that
31:48vision.
31:49so the
31:50minimum plan
31:51is to
31:52maintain the
31:53illusion,
31:53to make the
31:54system appear
31:55effective,
31:55while the
31:56rest of the
31:57world politely
31:58pretends to
31:59believe it.
32:00For the
32:00Russian elite,
32:01the ideal world
32:02is one where
32:03the ruler is
32:04loved and
32:04feared,
32:05calm and
32:06generous enough
32:07to let everyone
32:08still in peace.
32:09They take
32:10pride in their
32:11culture and
32:12the mystique of
32:13the Russian
32:13soul, but
32:14they keep
32:15their families
32:16and fortunes
32:17safely abroad.
32:19understanding
32:19these patterns
32:20doesn't make
32:21the world
32:22gentler, but
32:23it makes us
32:25harder to
32:25fool and
32:26maybe a
32:27little wiser
32:28about the
32:29powers shaping
32:29our lives.
32:31So, tell
32:32me in the
32:33comments,
32:34which elite
32:35code, American,
32:37European,
32:37Chinese, or
32:38Russian, feels
32:39more dangerous
32:41for the next
32:42decade, and
32:43why?
32:44I read every
32:45comment and
32:46your insights
32:47help shape
32:48future episodes.
32:50If
32:50independent
32:51voices matter
32:52to you,
32:52don't forget
32:53to like,
32:53share, or
32:54join my
32:55think tank.
32:55It keeps
32:56this channel
32:57alive without
32:58permission.
32:59Thank you
33:00for watching
33:00and for
33:02thinking with
33:03me.
33:22and for
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