Our geopolitical adversaries are ruled by individuals who are often closer to founders, in the sense Silicon Valley uses the term, than traditional politicians. Their fates and personal fortunes are so deeply intertwined with those of the nations whose authoritarian regimes they oversee that they behave as owners, in that they have a direct stake in the future of their countries. And as a result, they can be far more alert and sensitive to the needs and demands of their public, even if they ruthlessly and viciously ignore them. In business and in politics, we are all, always, negotiating
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