Yep. All true.
Thanks for mentioning Liechtenstein. Have never informed myself, how Liechtenstein is governed.
I am with you when it comes to the application of an ideal democratic system it is har to implement. Hard since all people who hold a lot of power today will loose it, when it is renovated towards ideal Democracy. So no question always when a country does this people with power will invest a lot of propaganda and advertisment in every form to create an idea of unorganized chaos, that could come with democratisation.
Only that in practice many very democratic groups work very well. When looking on Projects like Debian or Arch or even big companies like Google, which are successful and give their employees a lot of freedom in their manner to work.
And since I was listening to a podcas about Niklas Luhmanns Systemtheorie https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systemtheorie_(Luhmann)
I am quiet sure that ell types of authoritarian systems are to some part a ponzi system. And this part grows until it comes to a forced collapse.
This since every system has its reason to exist fore and another part that is invested to keep the system in place (defend it). Every person that gets to a lot of power gets the opportunity to use some of it for his or her personal wealth, which is a kind of extortion of those who pay for it. This part of extortion can grow untilthere are more people lifing from extortion or corruption than those who create. And authoritarian regimes are chronically lacking selfcorrection, since critics are silenced most of the times until there is only yes man.
Discussion
But I also think that the core of power is education. Every person that is well educated in a language has some basic mathematical and logical skills already has that bases of power inbetween his ears.
Disagree. That's potential, not power. Perhaps that's akin to mechanical power. Being able to do things is useful and could be leveraged into power, but power in the human context is more like the ability toake exceptions to rules. Most math professors can't do that.
So to say in a communist way. Those who are more equal are the powerful?
Can be one expression of power. I think being able to do stuff is power too. Liberties on is actively acting in are powers I would say. Like to meet with others discuss, plan something and do it.
Generic speaking I would frame power to align reality to my needs. And even the most known "powerful" people like Putin, Trump and Xi are not powerful in every way. FOr example they often do not have the power to go partying without bodyguards or having a picknick in whatever Park spontanously. Or going somewhere unrecognized without masking up.