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Episode details

World Service,10 Jul 2015,49 mins

Does Power Make You Mad?

The Real Story

Available for over a year

Should political leaders be subject to term limits? Is power so intoxicating that too much of it sends you mad? There are those in power who seem convinced that if they stood aside the consequences would be disastrous, but perhaps allowing them to remain is far more damaging. The US has term limits on its national leaders, most of Europe does not. So why do European countries often insist that African leaders should step down after two terms in office. Join Owen Bennett Jones and his distinguished panel of guests as they discuss the merits and abuses of personal power. Photo: Getty Images/ Jacques-Louis David's 1801 painting of Napoleon Bonaparte Crossing the Alps by the Great Saint Bernard Pass

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