If Xi Jinping is the world's most powerful man, conventional

Antony Blinken, speaking as a watcher of nations, observes that if Xi Jinping holds the scepter as the world’s most powerful man, then Vladimir Putin stands close beside him, cloaking himself in the image of virility and force. He notes how Putin has woven his bare-chested bravado into the fabric of a resurgent Russia, making strength and dominance the very emblem of his rule. Here, Blinken unveils the truth that rulers often clothe their authority not only in policy, but in spectacle, shaping the image of themselves as symbols of their nation’s power.

The ancients knew this pattern well. Alexander the Great did not only conquer with armies; he fashioned himself as a godlike figure, riding at the front, his image minted on coins, his visage sculpted in marble. His power was not only in the sword, but in the myth he built around his body and his presence. So too, Putin has cast himself as more than a man: a hunter, a horseman, a warrior. This is no accident, but a deliberate weaving of image into the garment of authority.

History reminds us, however, that such displays carry both glory and peril. Napoleon Bonaparte made himself the embodiment of France’s resurgence after revolution and chaos, crowning himself emperor to prove that he owed his title to none but his own strength. Yet when his might faltered at Waterloo, the image crumbled, and the myth dissolved into exile. The same is true for all leaders who tie their nations’ destinies to their own bodies: their fall becomes the fall of their image, and their power fades as swiftly as their strength.

Blinken’s words, then, are more than description; they are warning. Conventional wisdom exalts those who rule by spectacle, but such power is precarious. For though image may stir pride, it is not the same as enduring strength. A nation built on the flesh of one man stands upon fragile ground, as history has shown from Rome to modern empires. True resurgence must root itself in justice, wisdom, and the people, not merely in the virility of a single ruler.

Let the children of tomorrow learn: the power of image may dazzle, but it is fleeting. Wisdom, not bravado, is the foundation of lasting rule. For men who bind their nations to their own strength will one day find that strength falters, but those who plant their authority in truth and justice build legacies beyond themselves. The world remembers conquerors with both awe and warning, but it honors builders with reverence.