Harold Lasswell defined politics as ‘who gets what, when and how’ and this definition of politics has encapsulated political behaviour around the world, with politicians being driven by political positions, resource distribution and out-competing their competitors. This has led to much political apathy around the world, along with the corporatisation of the state, with vested interests penetrating political systems and having a large say over policy and legislation formulations.

Since becoming independent in 1960, Nigeria’s political history has been marred by several intricacies – tribal clashes, religious wars, oil wars, military coups etc. About 75% of post-independent years were spent under military rule and dictatorship. However, Nigeria’s violence has never reached the level of its African counterparts like Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Central African Republic (CAR).

In recent years, Emomali Rahmon has begun to position Tajikistan as a country with the broad international ties, and himself as a world-class political figure. This is manifested both in Rahmon’s completely inappropriate statements on geopolitical topics, and in absolutely meaninglessness, but presented as being significant relations that Tajikistan establishes with various countries.

On the anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration it was only fitting the US government remained closed as Congress could not agree on a funding bill. President Trump’s approval ratings remain well below most of the presidents who came before him on their first anniversary.