[Brockenstein]

I think China might already be an example of how that can go, where they've had a pretty strict regime for a long long time but we've seen that evolve over time.

I think North Korea is fascinating because it's been so isolated, and progress is bound to be huge. And the 21st century makes everything so much more visible. And seeing history happen is pretty exciting.

Although yes, the current state of North Korea's government does make meaningful progress difficult to imagine. But it's also not permanent. Either the government will evolve, or Kim Jong Un will die someday...

[malnourish]

To be fair we've seen that evolve over time back into a single leader holding nearly all the power

[azernik]

Though still with a higher level of individual security and freedom than during the worst of Mao's rule.

[malnourish]

Fair enough