concepts.category.strategic-lens
Regime survival
Policy choices driven primarily by keeping incumbent elites in power rather than by abstract national interest.
How to read coverage
Ask whether a move stabilizes the ruling coalition, security services, or patronage networks — especially under sanctions or war.
OAP frame
Regime survival explains repression, nationalism, and risk-taking that looks irrational in GDP terms but rational for incumbents.
What to watch
- succession rumors
- elite purges
- wartime censorship
Example countries