Illuminating the Arts-Policy Nexus 
Illuminating the Arts-Policy Nexus is a fortnightly series of articles on the role of art in public policymaking. This series invites WPI fellows and project leaders as well as external practitioners to contribute pieces on how artists have led policy change and how policymakers can use creative strategies.
In Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World, World Policy Institute Senior Fellow Ian Bremmer illustrates a historic shift in the international system and the world economy—and an unprecedented moment of global uncertainty.
1. Kim Jong Un - North Korea
Ranked number one autocrat on our list is the President and “Supreme Leader” of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The so-called Hermit Kingdom is the most secluded country in the world. In fact, so little statistical data is available outside of the isolated state that key information for this study had to be compiled from the estimates of defectors and public intelligence documents.
Despite the scant information available, Kim Jong Un has ranked high if, not highest, on many freedom and human rights indices, including Freedom House and Human Rights Watch. Kim spends close to 34 percent of annual GDP on military expenditures to maintain tight security on his borders and citizens and has imposed firewalls to monitor Internet usage. Additionally, under his rule, those who drop out of school are required to enroll for a minimum of 13 years in the North Korean army.
