The death of Oman's long-ruling sultan raises questions about the viability of enlightened despotism.
Category: Personalities
Jacques Chirac’s greatest hits
A look through the Crikey archive at the career of former French president Jacques Chirac, who died last week.
Death of a denialist
The paradox of David Koch, who died last week, is that his political activism ended up empowering forces that were deeply hostile to his libertarian convictions.
Remembering George Canning
As Boris Johnson prepares to take office in Britain, thoughts turn to one of his predecessors whose record is under threat.
Death of an independent
Ross Perot was an eccentric and pathbreaking figure, but it's not entirely fair to see him as a proto-Trump.
Death in Egypt
A suspicious death in custody ends the unfortunate life of Egypt's first and only elected president.
A “libertarian” goes down
Final results from the New South Wales state election show the Liberal Democrats missing out on an upper house seat, for interesting reasons.
Maybe not the potato
It's possible to tear down a prime minister without becoming their replacement. Peter Dutton could learn from Michael Heseltine.
Death of a nationalist
The founder of India's ruling party was a moderate whose creation has become a vehicle for extremism.
Mr Putin and his asset
Donald Trump doesn't really look like a blackmail victim, but there's still something unusual going on in his relationship with Vladimir Putin.
The World is Not Enough 