> it's hard to say that the bar for either of those is simply maintaining superficial order. Well it's clearly more than superficial or the state would be coll

> it's hard to say that the bar for either of those is simply maintaining superficial order. Well it's clearly more than superficial or the state would be collapsing. Regardless, I don't think the form of the government itself implies any sort of governance quality. Both Russia and Iran are the subjects of such heavy propaganda I don't expect anyone to evaluate them in good faith—but I would certainly prefer to live in either place compared to, say, Mississippi.