The Learner

Reflections on power and history: Lessons from Ceaușescu's Romania By Muhsin Ibrahim History is essential for our understanding of the world. It tells us what happened in the past, why things are happening now (i.e. context) and what will likely happen in the future. Nothing beats this vital knowledge. A few years ago, we arrived in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. On the flight, I read about some African dictators, from Addis Ababa to Bangui, Kampala to Kinshasa, among others. I kept imagining how those tyrants, whose regimes mostly ended in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, were thinking while reigning. Nevertheless, when we visited the house and massive parliament building of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the infamous Romanian communist dictator, everything fell into place. Power is transient. Mr Ceaușescu ruled this Balkan country for 25 years. Going through some of the structures he left behind, one would assume he never thought of dying. However, in December 1989, demonstrations, riots and...