Newsweek Discovers Leaders Get Old, Ignores When They Also Dictate
Newsweek recently ran a piece about the 'World's Oldest Leader' extending his rule, a curious framing for what many might call a lifetime authoritarian grip. This seemingly straightforward headline manages to sanitize the grim reality of leaders who rewrite constitutions, eliminate opposition, and suppress dissent to clutch power well past their prime. It's not an 'extension' when there's no
genuine vote; it's a consolidation of an extra-legal mandate. While Newsweek marvels at the longevity, it omits the systematic dismantling of democratic institutions that allows such individuals to rule 'until 99 years old.' Funny how 'extending rule' never seems to involve a robust electoral challenge or a peaceful transfer of power, but always a military-backed decree or a constitutional
'adjustment' after all rivals have been disappeared. Is it leadership, or just exceptionally long-term tenancy without a lease?