This world isn’t big enough for two Caesars . . . yet, as though by way of some diabolical cosmic joke, that is what we’ve got.

In fact, we are currently blessed with a plethora of autocrats: Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un, Aleksandr Lukashenko, and a whole bunch of Middle Eastern potentates, to name a few. But the two who stand out from the crowd — due to their good fortune in having been born in the two most powerful nations on Earth — are, of course, the Joy Boys of modern political vaudeville . . . let’s hear it now, for . . . Donnie and Vlad!

Unfortunately, it’s not a joke. Because each of these two firmly believes he has a divine right to rule the world. And each is determined to do just that . . . despite the fact that both have already outlasted their respective life expectancies by a couple of years.

*. *. *

Vladimir Putin has been in office for a quarter of a century, and has rigged Russia’s constitution so that he could well fulfill his ambition of being “Tsar for Life.” In 25 years, he has taken a country that was on a path of political and economic reform, and turned it back into a Stalinist nightmare of repression, fear, and uncertainty.

Openly declaring his belief that the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century, he has embarked on a new crusade of expansionism by any means: if enticement doesn’t work, he resorts to threats; and if threats fail to do the trick, there is always invasion.

Just ask anyone in Ukraine.

And other neighboring countries — former Soviet Bloc nations and the Baltics — are already building their defenses in anticipation of the worst-case scenario. Under Putin, the Russian Empire — like the Roman Empire of old — is on the march.

His own words, spoken at an economic forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, on June 20th of this year, sum it up perfectly:

“There’s an old rule that wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that’s ours.”

Enough said.

*. *. *

Donald Trump hasn’t invaded any other countries . . . yet. But he has tried enticing — and even tossed out a couple of undisguised threats at — both Greenland and Canada. And he did drop a few bombs on Iran at Israel’s behest, and has toyed with the idea of turning Gaza into the next Riviera.

His principal focus, however — during the less than six months since re-taking the White House — has been on waging all-out war against his own country. Usurping the powers of Congress and the Supreme Court, and ignoring the existence of the U.S. Constitution, he has:

> decimated the most essential government agencies, thus creating havoc, interrupting vital services, and putting thousands of people out of work;

> stacked his Cabinet and agency hierarchies with people whose only qualification is absolute fealty to him;

> brutally and illegally rounded up immigrants, the vast majority of whom are hard-working family people innocent of any crime, and — without due process of law — herded them into concentration camps pending deportation to third-world countries;

> completely reversed decades of progress toward the guarantee of equal rights for all, regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation; and punished institutions of learning and culture that have refused to comply with his unconstitutional executive orders;

> attempted (sometimes successfully) to stifle the media that dare to expose his illegal actions; and

> himself committed crimes of which he has been found guilty in the nation’s courts.

Having established his domestic autocracy, he now feels free to unleash his bullying tactics on the rest of the world: outrageous tariffs, sanctions and threats against historically friendly nations, and denigration of the institutions responsible for having thus far prevented a third world war: the United Nations, NATO, the European Union, etc.

He — like his idol, Vladimir Putin — believes that it is his God-given right to rule the world. But their backgrounds could not be more different. If I may indulge in a little amateur armchair analysis:

Putin is driven by an unquenchable lust for power stemming from a deep-seated inferiority complex. He grew up in near-poverty. He was teased, being short and slightly built; but he was also smart. So he developed a toughness in order to survive, and worked his way up — often by ruthless means — all the way to the top.

Trump, on the other hand, came from wealth, privilege, and a sense of entitlement. Having been taught that the world was his for the taking, he suffers from a narcissistic belief that he is special and is thus entitled to grab whatever he desires . . . from money, to women, to political office.

In short: Putin will not tolerate dissent; Trump cannot.

But despite their different histories, they have separately arrived at the same place in life: at the head of their respective countries, with only one goal remaining to be reached: King of the World.

Two Caesars, one world.

And when Titans clash . . .

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/12/25