Which authoritarian is “best of the worst”? Gideon Rachman's favorite strongman

Which Authoritarian Is “Best of the Worst”? | Gideon Rachman's Favorite Strongman | GZERO World

Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs columnist at the Financial Times, has just published a new book about autocrats, so Ian Bremmer puts him on the spot on GZERO World.

Which one appeals to you the most?

"That is difficult. I wouldn't say ... I'm running desperately through my head," says Rachman, before settling on one autocrat he's not a fan of but concedes is at least "an interesting figure."

Clues: He leads a very populous country, comes from humble beginnings, and Rachman believes he's not personally corrupt like other strongmen.

Watch the GZERO World episode: The politics of resentment & how authoritarian strongmen gain power.

More from GZERO Media

The major Supreme Court decisions to watch for in June | GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

A look at major Supreme Court rulings expected this year, including former president Donald Trump's legal woes, abortion pills, homeless encampments, the power of federal agencies, and more, with Yale legal scholar Emily Bazelon

China's President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan disembark at Orly Airport, south of Paris, on May 5, 2024.

STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/Pool via REUTERS

This week marks President Xi Jinping’s first trip to Europe in five years. The Chinese leader will only visit France, Serbia, and Hungary – three countries where he’s likely to find the friendliest ears – and meet with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen to discuss trade tensions and China’s support for Russia in its war with Ukraine.

An Israeli medic walks near soldiers and an ambulance after Hamas claimed responsibility for an attack on the Kerem Shalom crossing near Israel's border with Gaza in southern Israel, on May 5, 2024.

REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Hope for a cease-fire faded again Sunday as Hamas left the talks in Cairo. This came just days after the group said it saw the latest proposal – thought to have included a 40-day pause in fighting in exchange for the release of hostages – “in a positive light.” But Hamas’ insistence that a deal for the hostages bring an end to the war was a non-starter for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

United States President Joe Biden arrives prior to making a statement on Campus unrest from in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Thursday, May 2, 2024.
IMAGO/MediaPunch via Reuters Connect

On Friday and Saturday, India and Japan responded to President Joe Biden’s gaffe at a campaign fundraiser last week in which he called the two nations “xenophobic.”

FILE PHOTO: Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh, the three individuals charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in relation to the murder in Canada of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023, are seen in a combination of undated photographs released by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT).
IHIT/Handout via REUTERS

Canada's arrest on Friday of three Indian nationals linked to the assassination of Sikh-Canadian activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar has escalated diplomatic tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi.