Counterintuitive Facts (25): Why Do Dictators Who Ruin Their Countries the Most Often Live the Longest?

I. We always assume: If a country's leader governs well. Prosperous people, clean roads, thriving economy. His seat is secure. If he's corrupt and people are starving, he'll be overthrown.

II. The opposite is true. The longest serving rulers in the world are often those who've made their countries a complete mess. Zimbabwe's Mugabe, ruled 37 years, inflation reached 89.7 sextillion percent, people starving everywhere. Congo's Mobutu, ruled 32 years, looted the country bare, personally accumulated $4 billion. Equatorial Guinea's Obiang, over 40 years in power to this day, high per capita GDP (oil), but people impoverished.

III. And those "good emperors"? Leaders who try to reform and improve people's lives are often quickly overthrown or assassinated. Kennedy, Lincoln, Sadat, Gandhi...