The Way of the Elites: Divide and Rule, By James Reed
The Focal Points article "Divide et Impera: Divide and Rule", by investigative journalist John Leake) is a sharp, conspiratorial critique of how modern ruling elites, particularly in the U.S. and allied powers, systematically employ the ancient Roman strategy of divide et impera ("divide and rule") to maintain control. Leake argues that whenever ordinary people start waking up to elite corruption, exploitation, or scandals (e.g., the release of Epstein Files), the establishment manufactures or escalates external crises, wars, hoaxes, or scapegoating, to redirect public anger outward and prevent unified domestic revolt.
Core Thesis: Distraction Through Division
Leake's central claim is that "the means of defence against foreign danger have always been the instruments of tyranny at home" (quoting James Madison). Elites create or amplify external threats to fracture societies internally, ensuring the masses fight each other or a distant enemy rather than the "monsters" ruling them. This prevents accountability for systemic abuses like financial bailouts, intelligence overreach, or moral degeneracy.
Historical and Modern Examples
Leake traces the pattern across centuries:
Roman Empire: A "standing maxim" to excite war whenever revolt loomed at home.
1953 Operation Ajax: CIA (under Allen Dulles) overthrew Iran's democratically elected PM Mohammad Mosaddegh, installing the Shah to secure oil interests, laying groundwork for long-term U.S. dominance in the region.
JFK Era: Kennedy forced Dulles out of the CIA in 1961 after Bay of Pigs failures; Dulles later joined the Warren Commission. Leake implies JFK's assassination protected the emerging Military-Industrial Complex (as Eisenhower warned in his 1961 Farewell Address about this "monster").
Post-2008 Financial Crisis: Hundreds of billions in banker bailouts were overshadowed by media-amplified narratives of resurgent racism, portraying ordinary Americans (e.g., "redneck plumber with the Confederate flag") as the real threat.
Russian Collusion Hoax: Divided the U.S. by fixating on alleged Trump-Putin ties.
COVID-19 Framing: Labelled a "pandemic of the unvaccinated," shifting blame from policy failures or vaccine issues.
Current Iran Conflict: The ongoing U.S.-led strikes on Iran (framed as "Epic Fury") serve as the latest distraction. Leake ties this directly to the Epstein Files release (pushed by Rep. Thomas Massie), which he calls the closest exposure of elite evil since Dulles's CIA era in 1953. Trump's envoys (Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner) delivered humiliating demands on Iran (surrender 60% enriched uranium, navy, ballistic missiles), designed to provoke rather than negotiate, mirroring 1914 Austrian ultimatums to Serbia.
Broader Geopolitical Critique
The author warns that proposed regime-change puppets, like Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi (son of the 1953 CIA-installed Shah) or Ahmed Chalabi (the fraudulent "George Washington of Iraq" later revealed as an Iranian agent), are doomed to repeat failures. He invokes Henry Kissinger's emphasis on balance of power (from his 1957 book A World Restored) and JFK's 1963 letter to Ben Gurion arguing for nuclear parity in the region to prevent dominance.
Leake doubts the Iran campaign will succeed, predicting "unforeseen and terrible consequences" for all parties, including Israeli civilians, Gulf States (ports and oil infrastructure hit), and U.S. forces stretched thin.
Instead of obsessing over "monsters in Tehran 6,000 miles away," Americans should confront domestic ones: ruling-class degeneracy exposed by Epstein, crumbling infrastructure (e.g., sewage failures in the capital), and elite contempt for the public. Echoing Washington's 1796 Farewell Address, Leake urges non-interventionism—America isn't responsible for slaying the world's tyrants.
The piece is unapologetically anti-establishment: elites are "evil," "degenerate," and "selfish," wars are engineered distractions, and media/intelligence apparatuses enable perpetual control. It's sceptical of both major parties, critical U.S. hawks, and dismissive of regime-change fantasies. While rejecting defence of the Iranian regime, it prioritises sovereignty and domestic renewal over foreign adventurism.
For those concerned about power concentration, endless wars, and elite impunity, Leake's essay is a stark warning: the real divide-and-rule isn't just geopolitical—it's designed to keep ordinary people divided, distracted, and disempowered while the "monsters who rule us" remain untouched. The pattern is old, but in 2026's Iran conflict and Epstein revelations, it's playing out in real time.
https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/divide-et-impera-divide-and-rule
