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[redwallzyl]

Sometimes I wonder if you really can take a lawless state and repair it without a tyrannical dictator being appointed.

Yes, but its likely you would need to be rather more authoritarian then some would like for awhile. and that of course is the problem. many never transfer from the emergency dictator to a less powerful role for rather obvious reasons. you need a really genuinely good person who works really hard to not make them self into a permanent powerful figure. the man that's willing to retire to his cabbage fields for the good of the country is unfortuity rather rare in history.

[RedKing]

In other news, Kenya had an election and nobody died this time. Yet.

Nevermind, situation normal. 24 dead.

And yeah, a great deal of Africa's problems these days are self-inflicted. There are large-scale structural problems which the West rightly bears blame for, especially around finance and the lack of infrastructure, but many parts of Africa aren't doing themselves any favors by fighting to be the king of a very small, very poor, hill.

[Teneb]

In other news, Kenya had an election and nobody died this time. Yet.

Nevermind, situation normal. 24 dead.

And yeah, a great deal of Africa's problems these days are self-inflicted. There are large-scale structural problems which the West rightly bears blame for, especially around finance and the lack of infrastructure, but many parts of Africa aren't doing themselves any favors by fighting to be the king of a very small, very poor, hill.

The fighting is mostly because colonial powers didn't give a shit about pre-existing borders and cultural rivalries and put minorities in power over the majorities they hated and so on. Resulting is shit like Rwanda.

[smjjames]

In other news, Kenya had an election and nobody died this time. Yet.

Nevermind, situation normal. 24 dead.

And yeah, a great deal of Africa's problems these days are self-inflicted. There are large-scale structural problems which the West rightly bears blame for, especially around finance and the lack of infrastructure, but many parts of Africa aren't doing themselves any favors by fighting to be the king of a very small, very poor, hill.

The fighting is mostly because colonial powers didn't give a shit about pre-existing borders and cultural rivalries and put minorities in power over the majorities they hated and so on. Resulting is shit like Rwanda.

We can't very well just erase borders and let the people redraw them the way they want them as it could easily backfire in more ways than one.

[RedKing]

In other news, Kenya had an election and nobody died this time. Yet.

Nevermind, situation normal. 24 dead.

And yeah, a great deal of Africa's problems these days are self-inflicted. There are large-scale structural problems which the West rightly bears blame for, especially around finance and the lack of infrastructure, but many parts of Africa aren't doing themselves any favors by fighting to be the king of a very small, very poor, hill.

The fighting is mostly because colonial powers didn't give a shit about pre-existing borders and cultural rivalries and put minorities in power over the majorities they hated and so on. Resulting is shit like Rwanda.

True, but at some point (and it's been 150-200 years now in many cases) the people themselves have to put that shit aside and say "Ok, sure our great-grandfathers fucking hated each other. But now we're in the same country, so it's time to move on."

Granted, there are parts of Europe (looking at you, Balkans) and even the United States that are guilty of the same thing.

[Loud Whispers]

True, but at some point (and it's been 150-200 years now in many cases) the people themselves have to put that shit aside and say "Ok, sure our great-grandfathers fucking hated each other. But now we're in the same country, so it's time to move on."

Granted, there are parts of Europe (looking at you, Balkans) and even the United States that are guilty of the same thing.

It's more "ok sure, our great-grandfathers fucking hated each other. But now we're in the same country, we can hate Indians instead." Switch Indians for other suitable minorities as per basis

[Neonivek]

Sometimes I wonder if you really can take a lawless state and repair it without a tyrannical dictator being appointed.

Yes, but its likely you would need to be rather more authoritarian then some would like for awhile. and that of course is the problem. many never transfer from the emergency dictator to a less powerful role for rather obvious reasons. you need a really genuinely good person who works really hard to not make them self into a permanent powerful figure. the man that's willing to retire to his cabbage fields for the good of the country is unfortuity rather rare in history.

Well you have someone who is willing to use force against their enemies, slaughtering insurgents, cowing opposition... and be doggedly determined to do it.

How many people can do that... while also being the kind of person who would step down for the good of their country?

I am just rather depressed that it seems like one of the required steps of civilization seems to be that one leader rise above all else, wearing an iron glove.

[smjjames]

Sometimes I wonder if you really can take a lawless state and repair it without a tyrannical dictator being appointed.

Yes, but its likely you would need to be rather more authoritarian then some would like for awhile. and that of course is the problem. many never transfer from the emergency dictator to a less powerful role for rather obvious reasons. you need a really genuinely good person who works really hard to not make them self into a permanent powerful figure. the man that's willing to retire to his cabbage fields for the good of the country is unfortuity rather rare in history.

Well you have someone who is willing to use force against their enemies, slaughtering insurgents, cowing opposition... and be doggedly determined to do it.

How many people can do that... while also being the kind of person who would step down for the good of their country?

I am just rather depressed that it seems like one of the required steps of civilization seems to be that one leader rise above all else, wearing an iron glove.

In the great span of human history, the modern form of democracy is actually very young. Sure, there were some societies which were republics or had democratic style rule, but for most of human history, the dominant form of government was some form of rule by a single person or a small group of people.

[martinuzz]

In South Africa, the First Lady of Zimbabwe, Grace Mugabe, assaulted a 20 year old model with a electricity cable, wounding her in the head and face, apparently for no reason.

She is has been forbidden to leave the country, but has failed to show up at the police station for questioning. She did not have diplomatic immunity. The government of Zimbabwe has now asked to grant her diplomatic immunity, after the deed. South African officials say they are not so sure she will be granted that. For now, she will be treated like a regular suspect (and fugitive). Looks like the president of Zimbabwe will be devoid of wife for a while.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Why is it that powerful people never get downed by normal crimes? It's always some weird shit like this, and this is on the more normal side.

[TheDarkStar]

What would even be a normal crime for someone in power?

[smjjames]

What would even be a normal crime for someone in power?

^
This

[Loud Whispers]

What would even be a normal crime for someone in power?

Tax evasion & prostitution.
Fact: Most politicians are prostitutes, they make it illegal so they have no competition on the streets
dohohoho

[smjjames]

What would even be a normal crime for someone in power?

Tax evasion & prostitution.
Fact: Most politicians are prostitutes, they make it illegal so they have no competition on the streets
dohohoho

Didn't Berlusconi get hit for basically that?

[Loud Whispers]

Didn't Berlusconi get hit for basically that?

No he got hit for much more. Berlusconi is an aspirant champion of Tzeetch who created the bunga bunga party
Investigations or attempted prosecutions against him include:

• Tax fraud for millions of euros
• Bribing a judge to win a case against him (because the court was involved they couldn't convict him)
• False accounting (he changed the law so it wasn't illegal when he went to court for it)
• Bribing tax auditors (initially convicted, supreme court acquitted him)
• Bribing financial crime investigators
• Embezzlement of tax money
• Money laundering
• Violation of anti-trust laws
• Extortion
• Drug trafficking
• Possible connections to cartel massacres
• Connections with the mafia
• Abuse of state flights
• Bribery of prosecuting lawyers
• Illegal wiretapping
• Child sexual prostitution