I think our billionaire overlords and their political serfs know what they're doing.

[MadameButterfly]

8. They have no clue what they are doing.

They think happiness comes from power and money that is attained by causing other humans to suffer.
They don't know that their inability to understand the suffering of others has to do with some kind of damage that was done to them early in life and unless they address this they will never be happy
They don't know how to put themselves in someone else's shoes or see something from someone else's point of view
They don't know how much this diminishes their ability to make decisions or how much it diminishes their experience of life

They don't know that the hole in their heart needs love, and that they won't get it this way.
Their craving of ever more money is an addiction they can't control and will never satisfy them.
They think their money will insulate them from climate change
or the next pandemic
or the next war

They don't know that even they need to immerse themselves sometimes in the nature they are destroying.
They don't know they are harming the future of their own children, or how rewarding it would be to love their children like the rest of us do.
They don't appreciate the culture, beauty, or landmarks, destroyed forever by their wars because they they think history is for the elites

They live in fear of not being able to control every circumstance.
And in fear of the people they have harmed.
It hasn't even occurred to them how much joy they would receive from helping the people they are stealing money and power away from
They don't know that cooperation can be as powerful as competition
They know some people can be tricked but they don't know there are people a lot smarter who are eager to share their gifts for the common good.
They don't know that people who are truly self-confident don't choose to harm other people.
They don't know that most people don't behave or think like they do.

Humans can control greed. Look at Denmark.
Empathy and compassion have been with us forever. It's why parents raise children and love them more than they love themselves, loving communities exist all over the world, and heros even sacrifice themselves for the good of the whole.
Most people want to live in a world where everyone is happy.
Love is contagious.

I understand your conclusions above based on where politics is taking us right now. But human nature has many sides, and these guys don't deserve to be called smart. We are where we are because of a handful of mentally unbalanced old men have managed to seize the reigns of power for their foolish ends. They can only do it with lies, trickery, and fear. It is a house of cards. Putin seems unstoppable, but he sits at a long table and doesn't let anyone come near his end.

I appreciate and admire your desire to fight. But don't underestimate yourself or overestimate them.