Dr. Marcel Dirsus

That's a good question. And it's one I have actually also asked myself. I think there's probably two elements to that. The first one is a lot of these people are deeply weird. So even at the moment where they take power, they are already extremely damaged. So if you take somebody like Kim Jong-un, generals were saluting him when he was a child. He started carrying a gun when he was a child.

That's a good question. And it's one I have actually also asked myself. I think there's probably two elements to that. The first one is a lot of these people are deeply weird. So even at the moment where they take power, they are already extremely damaged. So if you take somebody like Kim Jong-un, generals were saluting him when he was a child. He started carrying a gun when he was a child.

That's a good question. And it's one I have actually also asked myself. I think there's probably two elements to that. The first one is a lot of these people are deeply weird. So even at the moment where they take power, they are already extremely damaged. So if you take somebody like Kim Jong-un, generals were saluting him when he was a child. He started carrying a gun when he was a child.

He could summon people to the palace when he had an issue with his toys, right? And like engineers would be forced to come during the middle of the night. So obviously that type of environment is not conducive to a healthy mind. And then the other problem is not only are these people deeply weird, but they have all this power.

He could summon people to the palace when he had an issue with his toys, right? And like engineers would be forced to come during the middle of the night. So obviously that type of environment is not conducive to a healthy mind. And then the other problem is not only are these people deeply weird, but they have all this power.

He could summon people to the palace when he had an issue with his toys, right? And like engineers would be forced to come during the middle of the night. So obviously that type of environment is not conducive to a healthy mind. And then the other problem is not only are these people deeply weird, but they have all this power.

And when you look at dictators, you can clearly see that it's not a good idea to give one person, in most cases one man, this much power because they're going to act on their weirdest ideas and things are going to go tragically wrong and things are going to get very weird.

And when you look at dictators, you can clearly see that it's not a good idea to give one person, in most cases one man, this much power because they're going to act on their weirdest ideas and things are going to go tragically wrong and things are going to get very weird.

And when you look at dictators, you can clearly see that it's not a good idea to give one person, in most cases one man, this much power because they're going to act on their weirdest ideas and things are going to go tragically wrong and things are going to get very weird.

Depending on the way you look at it, you've had some tyrants, right? There have been queens that have been exceedingly cruel to their own people and to others. So in the book, for example, I write about a queen from Madagascar, right, who is known for forcing her people into an ordeal, as part of which it would be revealed whether they are guilty of something or not.

Depending on the way you look at it, you've had some tyrants, right? There have been queens that have been exceedingly cruel to their own people and to others. So in the book, for example, I write about a queen from Madagascar, right, who is known for forcing her people into an ordeal, as part of which it would be revealed whether they are guilty of something or not.

Depending on the way you look at it, you've had some tyrants, right? There have been queens that have been exceedingly cruel to their own people and to others. So in the book, for example, I write about a queen from Madagascar, right, who is known for forcing her people into an ordeal, as part of which it would be revealed whether they are guilty of something or not.

And the ordeal was essentially eating something that had a very high likelihood of killing you. So either you took it and you died, in which case you were guilty, or if you didn't happen to die, then it's like, okay, you're innocent, right? So she was super, super cruel, but she was a queen. So right now, no, no female dictators.

And the ordeal was essentially eating something that had a very high likelihood of killing you. So either you took it and you died, in which case you were guilty, or if you didn't happen to die, then it's like, okay, you're innocent, right? So she was super, super cruel, but she was a queen. So right now, no, no female dictators.

And the ordeal was essentially eating something that had a very high likelihood of killing you. So either you took it and you died, in which case you were guilty, or if you didn't happen to die, then it's like, okay, you're innocent, right? So she was super, super cruel, but she was a queen. So right now, no, no female dictators.

Although, of course, that could change depending on the way that succession goes in North Korea.

Although, of course, that could change depending on the way that succession goes in North Korea.

Although, of course, that could change depending on the way that succession goes in North Korea.

Yeah, I think that's part of the trouble of studying these regimes, right? Comparatively speaking, democracies tend to be quite open. So obviously there's backroom deals. A lot of it is about power and so forth. But in dictatorships, it's really to the extreme.

Yeah, I think that's part of the trouble of studying these regimes, right? Comparatively speaking, democracies tend to be quite open. So obviously there's backroom deals. A lot of it is about power and so forth. But in dictatorships, it's really to the extreme.