It's not easy being a dictator any more. Once upon a time, you could just hop on a tank, line up some well-armed supporters, and fire a few shots at the presidential palace. The previous resident would move out, alive or otherwise, and voilá: You had yourself a country. All it took after that was a pledge of hatred for Washington or Moscow and automatically the un-hated superpower would start writing checks and sending arms. The country was yours until the next guy hopped on a tank.
It's not so easy any more.
These days, the pesky idea of democracy has grown strong roots all over the world. Even after Washington's recent Middle Eastern forays almost managed to make democracy a dirty word, people still have a thing for having a say in their government. That's why men who would have once happily crowned themselves eternal rulers are now treading the squishy, unpredictable soil of demi-democracy.