Author: Alecsis Rosca Editors: Ruth Lucas and Prachi Saraf Leaders can beget an irrational amount of respect and admiration on one side, as well as fear and despise on the other when there is an effective use of charisma, authority or cultural background in a given political context. When any of these are intertwined with exceptional action, the result is a bolster in their public standing, to the point of creating a cult of personality . But popularity does not necessarily