Wordyard

Hand-forged posts since 2002

Archives

About

Greatest hits

All the Sultan’s Men

February 26, 2003 by Scott Rosenberg

Read “Our Idiot Ottoman Sultan Problem,” by Brad DeLong. It’s about how we pick our presidents; why we seem to end up with leaders who have little experience in Washington; and how that leads to a situation in which the ignoramus president “picks his initial Grand Viziers. Other competing Vizier-candidates are jealous, and work to undermine them. The Viziers in favor flatter the Sultan, and try to strengthen their hold over him. Disasters happen. The Sultan’s temper flares. A coterie around the Sultan decides that somebody has to go, and policy shifts as a new Vizier takes the reins…”

Post Revisions:

There are no revisions for this post.

Filed Under: Politics