With the sunken eyes of a Munch painting and the floppy limbs that characterise the Marx brothers, Mr Rush's Berenger is a despot in decline.

ECONOMIST: Eug��ne Ionesco's ��Exit the King��: Forgotten gem | The

Many leaders on the continent are hardly paragons of democracy themselves, and so would never condemn a fellow despot.

ECONOMIST: Zimbabwe

In the first episode, at least, he's a fairly benign despot, insisting only that they buy his personal choice in bed linen.

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Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, also a secure-looking despot, fled Tunis for the relative safety of Saudi Arabia on January 14, 29 days after the act of self-immolation.

FORBES: Mubarak Leaves: The Free World's Historic Task Is Just Beginning

They favored, instead, "containing" Saddam Hussein or, at best, replacing him via a coup with some other despot who would not have Saddam's criminal baggage but would fit in and play well with the Mideast's other authoritarians.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy

News that Hosni Mubarak, ousted last year after 30 years as despot, was near to death after a stroke in prison may be irrelevant to the outcome of the current power struggle.

ECONOMIST: The Arab spring

Gore and Daschle, the Massachusetts legislator wants it both ways, averring that Saddam is a menace, but declaring himself unpersuaded that the Iraqi despot is an imminent one.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Return of the 'San Francisco Democrats'

Like many another despot, Mr Milosevic probably prefers to preside over a heap of rubble than not to preside at all.

ECONOMIST: Victim of Serbia--or NATO?

The scenes are a box office delight and do a lot to humanize a guy whom many see as some all-powerful business despot.

FORBES: Bill Gates' Swan Song