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40 PCB007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2025 Every shutdown is essentially a hostage negotiation. Catherine the Great mastered this principle: Create a crisis, force an impossible choice, then consolidate power while everyone else scrambles for survival. She understood that when people feel threatened, they'll accept solutions they would reject during stable times. Sound familiar? That's because you were watching it play out in real time on Capitol Hill. Creating Enemies to Unite Followers Genghis Khan faced a fragmented Mongolia of warring tribes with no loyalty beyond their immediate clan. His solution was to create a common enemy. Unite disparate groups against a shared threat. Transform chaos into purpose. Politicians unite their bases using the same strat- egy. During shutdowns, watch how quickly "the other side" becomes the enemy threatening Amer- ica's future. Both sides weaponize shutdowns to solidify their bases, knowing that fear and anger drive political engagement far better than policy discussions ever could. Khan's descendants conquered most of the known world with this tactic. Modern American politicians use it to win midterm elections. Strategic Chaos: Not Accidents, but Playbooks What Americans find frustrat- ing is the feeling that our leaders are incompetent, and shutdowns happen because Washington is broken. That narrative is comfort- ing, suggesting the problem is fixable through better people or reformed processes. The reality is far more cynical. These aren't accidents. These are strategic power moves politicians have been deploying for centuries. Napoleon Bonaparte rose from artillery officer to emperor by recognizing what others missed: Crisis creates opportunity. While France's Direc- tory government was floundering during instabil- ity, Napoleon positioned himself as the leader who could restore order. He didn't solve the crisis; he used it as a stepping stone to absolute power. Napoleon Bonaparte, 1812 . T H E R I G H T A PPROAC H