When it comes to the question of why it took Putin so long to kill Prigozhin after his failed coup, two months to the day, it might be helpful to think about it from Putin’s perspective.
He has long been a ruthless dictator, with the state’s vast surveillance network under his control. Although he was no doubt shocked by Prigozhin’s June 23rd rebellion, once he had quelled that uprising, and branded Prigozhin a traitor, he could have eliminated him immediately.
But Putin is a smart guy. He knew Prigozhin had to have collaborators inside the state power structure to get as close to success as he did, so simply arresting and punishing the ringleader might have left those co-conspirators or enablers in place where they could strike again in the future.
Instead, Putin apparently chose a far more elaborate plan of action. He met with Prigozhin in person and then let him go. He then tracked the traitor’s movements and contacts for the next two months before killing him off in dramatic fashion in Tuesday’s plane crash.
There are reports of other purges and disappearances within Putin’s circle these days as well. No doubt the victims were those who Putin had determined were Prigozhin’s most important allies or sympathizers.
In this way, the dictator maximized his chances of ridding himself of those most actively disloyal to him personally and sent a message to everyone else about the cost of betrayal in the future.
That, at least, is my best guess about what happened.
LINKS;
Trump replaces top Georgia lawyer ahead of surrender (CNN)
Trump surrenders at Fulton County jail in Georgia election case (CBS)
Trump suggests in Carlson interview that U.S. could see more political violence (WP)
Judge denies Meadows, Clark attempts to block arrest in Georgia (The Hill)
Putin appears to eulogize Prigozhin in first remarks since plane crash (WP)
Early Intelligence Suggests Prigozhin Was Assassinated, U.S. Officials Say (WSJ)
Russia expert: What timing of Prigozhin’s purported death may mean (CNN)
Female Afghan students stopped by Taliban on way to Dubai (ABC)
Why China’s economy won’t be fixed (Economist)
T-Mobile to lay off 5,000 employees (CNN)
Rising tree temperatures could lead to 'severe consequences' (BBC)
Bacteria that ‘eat’ methane could slow global heating, study finds (Guardian)
Greece Battles Its Most Widespread Wildfires on Record (NYT)
‘Rare’ Grand Canyon flooding forces 100 to evacuate near park (WP)
You can now train ChatGPT on your own documents via API (Ars Technica)
AI helps robots manipulate objects with their whole bodies (MIT)
M.F.A. vs. GPT — How to push the art of writing out of a computer’s reach (Atlantic)
How Schools Can Survive (and Maybe Even Thrive) With A.I. This Fall (NYT)
Can generative AI master emotional intelligence? (Fast Company)
AI’s carbon emissions are about to be a problem. (Atlantic)
New MTA Train Operator Ends Up Lost On Back-Road Tracks In Middle Of Nowhere (The Onion)
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