Thought Today Of Vespasian

Vespasian was hardly the first, or last, victorious Roman general to stage a coup. It happened so often in Roman/Byzantine history that one could declare such military Darwinism to be standard imperial practice. Certainly most semi-competent emperors always made sure their successful, popular generals were kept on a short leash, for this reason.

I have always thought that the Roman-style "good old days", of victorious generals marching back to the imperial capital to stage a coup, were long past. The Russians have proven that I was mistaken in this belief. Of course, two years ago, I also believed that the days of European countries openly invading each other for a territorial land-grab were long over, too. In this, the Russians continue to surprise, and I doubt the surprises out of Russia have finished.

The "Third Rome" doctrine is, of course, believed and promulgated in Russia and the Russian diaspora, and nowhere else. I do not know if Putin himself believes it (coming as he does from an anti-Tsarist, anti-religious KGB background), but many of his backers do, including the Patriarch.