Hacker News Reader

I find your scenario childlish and not realistic.

No air force commander refuses such an order and makes his infantry die because he disagrees with the politics. Even if he did, he would likely be relieved of command the moment after and face court martial. And that's ignoring it is Russia we're talking about.

View on HN

I think you're confusing how systems of government work. For a good description of dynamics in dictatorships, I'd recommend Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, a political scientist at NYU.

To oversimplify, in a dictatorship, the dictator serves at the pleasure of the branches of the army, secret service, and police. If a majority believe he's unfit, he's out. Commanders have a lot of autonomy to refuse orders. That kind of infighting is common in China too. It's nearly impossible in a democracy.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com