Anyone who studies any form of gov. that depends on a popular democracy, knows it isn't possible for such a system to be competitively functional with more streamlined gov. management systems. No populace has the collective expertise to select truly qualified leaders and one way or another - democracies turn into popularity contests incapable of selecting qualified leadership. However, history has shown that unless the populace thinks they have some input into their governing, no authoritarian gov. lasts very long regardless of it's enforcement strength.
The solution is rather obvious. You have a fake "democracy" where the populace at best gets to make inconsequential decisions like electing by popular vote a "face" that can be loved or hated, but who has zero real input in the management of the nation, while the real management of the nation is in the best case left up to best and brightest professional and qualified managers.
Whether this arrangement is designed intentionally or not, it evolves to this popular leader "face" strategy out of functional necessity. It's most obvious in the royal family of Britain where the royals are functionless as strategic heads of state. In the US it's intentionally far more deceptive where our fake "democracy's" popularity contest generally elects the best smile, while the nations real leadership is totally out of sight to the public. In the US, the fake "democratic" process has become an industry unto itself encompassing billions of dollars of political theater supported popular entertainment media and advertising - actual professional journalism having died a quiet death decades ago.
Are 140-character blasts enough out of our world’s leaders? Apparently this is now the case for three out of four heads of state, who are now Twitter users, almost double the number from two years ago. 
That’s the conclusion drawn in a new report by The Digital Policy Council (DPC), which found that as of December 2012, 75%, or three out of four heads of state, were Twitter users.
A total of 123 world leaders out of 164 countries had accounts on Twitter set up in their personal name or through an official government office, DPC reports. In 2011, the research group adds, only 69 out of 164 countries had embraced Twitter. The new figures represent a 78% increase in the number of heads of state and national governments on Twitter from 2011.
Twitter is proving to be a tool of interactive communication, as well as a vehicle of revolution. “As digital activism becomes more intensified, it is often seen as a threat to governments,” the report states.
Indeed, Twitter was one of the primary networks used by pro-democracy advocates in the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011. Established political leaders are also discovering the power of Twitter — there “has been the steady increase in the number of heads of state that are using Twitter, and recognizing the benefits of the vehicle to allow for direct interaction with constituents,” DPC says.
The top 10 leaders using Twitter over the past year include the following (Twitter handles included):
- Barack Obama, president, United States, 24.6 million followers, @BarackObama
- Hugo Chavez, president, Venezuela, 3.8 million followers, @chavezcandanga
- Abdullah Gul, president, Turkey, 2.6 million followers, @cbabdullahgul
- Queen Rania, Jordan, 2.5 million followers, @QueenRania
- Dmitry Medvedev, president, Russia, 2 million followers, @MedvedevRussia
- Dilma Rouseff, president, Brazil, 1.8 million followers, @dilmabr
- Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, president, Argentina, 1.5 million followers, @CFKArgentina
- Juan Manuel Santos, president, Columbia, 1.5 million followers, @JuanManSantos
- Enrique Peña Nietoin, president, Mexico, 1.4 million followers, @EPN
- Sheikh Mohammed, prime minister, United Arab Emirates, 1.3 million followers, @HHShkMohd
(Photo: Joe McKendrick.)
