Is the relationship between Underwood and Petrov a battle of the sociopaths? Who comes out on top?

Tagged:

The first thing you have to understand is that neither Underwood nor Petrov are really interested in winning or ‘coming out on top’. They are the heads of states of their respective nations, both serve those nations, and the question of which nation won was determined a long time before either of them took office. No matter who ‘wins’ each individual negotiation, the US will still be the US and Russia will still be Russia.

Both of them understand this. So petty ego can take a side seat and they can enjoy each other’s company as fellow ruthless executives.

The second thing to understand is the stakes each is playing for. Looming far larger on an executive’s mind than winning over each other or winning for the country is staying in power. An executive cannot continue to serve if he’s been removed from his post. Underwood by losing the upcoming election and Petrov by internal machination. Again, both of them understand this and that plays the largest role in what outcome gets negotiated.

So, with those two facts in mind, you can see that what Underwood and Petrov are doing is not so much competition but cooperation. What Petrov understands is that the USA, and by extension Underwood, is far more invested in peace than Russia is. So Petrov can afford to be intransigent and difficult, forcing Underwood to bring more to the table. Underwood does not want to simply take this treatment lying down so he creates a little chaos of his own to force Russia back to the table.

Petrov, as portrayed, is used to weak American leaders who will simply keep bending. Underwood surprises him, and that earns him Petrov’s respect. Bending to Russian will, to the Americans, is like simply giving in to your five year old who keeps begging for candy in a crowded grocery store. You don’t want to set a bad example, but you also don’t want to look bad in front of strangers. It’s easier to just let them have what they want. The time will come where you have to punish them for their actions, but that time is not now.

Petrov is surprised at Underwood’s gamesmanship and that makes Underwood more useful to Petrov. They can now have more in-depth discussions on the hows and whys of their respective national politics and be a little more open about what they are hoping to achieve. They’re still somewhat at odds, after all, geopolitics will bring their respective nations’ into conflict over various things, but they’re way more partners than foes.