Today we are once again caught in what I would like to call the “bad leader trap”, a recurring pattern in international politics in which the downfall – or at times illegal elimination – of a villainised ruler is treated as a triumph for freedom, while the deeper political realities that produced that ruler remain largely untouched.The trap is deceptively simple. A leader somewhere in the world develops a reputation as authoritarian, corrupt or repressive. Their record becomes widely known: democratic institutions are hollowed out, critics silenced, protests suppressed and the independent press censured. When such a leader is challenged, removed, arrested or killed, the moment is framed as a victory for freedom.The moral clarity of that narrative is seductive. A bad leader has fallen. Justice, it seems, has been served.Yet this clarity often blinds us to far more complicated questions about international law, geopolitical consequences and the long-term futures of the societies involved.Take the recent killing of Iran’s second Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the ongoing US–Israel strikes on Iran. Few would dispute the repressive nature of his 36-year leadership.The brutality of the Iranian state has been on display for decades. Since late December, authorities have violently suppressed nationwide protests demanding “fundamental and structural change, including a full transition to a democratic system that respects rights and human dignity.”Human Rights Watch re …
