The five stages of political corruption

The infamous web of vested interests and corrupt relationships across the hierarchy of power, known in Greek as "diaploki," is a resilient, flexible and adjustable thing that adapts to all sorts of governments and ideologies. It is also universal by its very nature, in that it conforms to all regimes and tastes. Its charms are irresistible, especially to the newcomer in government, or the politician on the cusp of power. 

The governing powers have firsthand experience of how seductive its charms can be, but they also know how disastrous it can become when the wind changes direction and it all comes back at you. History has taught us that people who become involved in or initiate such relationships are insatiable and rarely satisfied with the benefits that special ties with certain politicians can bring them. 

There are basically five stages in the relationship of...

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