Meeting of two dictators, Ali Khamenei and Nicolae Ceausescu in Romania

The formal dinner would be a stiff, highly choreographed affair, attended by key ministers and party functionaries, all carefully chosen for their loyalty and lack of independent thought. Toasts would be offered to national friendship, to peace, and to the strength of their respective systems, each phrase heavy with diplomatic platitudes, masking the stark realities of their regimes. The atmosphere would be one of performative solidarity, a spectacle designed for the state media, projecting an image of international camaraderie that belied the transactional and often distrustful nature of the actual discussions. The silence between the forced pleasantries would be more telling than any speech.