tinpot despot

The name for dictators in small countries that think they are more important than they are. The term comes from how children play soldier by putting a kitchen pot on their heads to make people think they are real soldiers. Tinpot despots have a lot less influence in the world than they think they do. They often use military forve to get what they want.

Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Muammar al-Gaddafi of Libya are considered tinpot despots. Sudan, Eritrea, Chad, and Equatorial Guinea also have tinpot despots as leaders as well.

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