The return of World Leader March Madness

It’s back! Last year’s March Madness: Democrats vs. Dictators tournament of champions ended with a dramatic knife fight on the edge of an active Icelandic volcano between Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin. The tournament will return next week, setting the stage for a potential rematch and giving readers the chance for FP glory.   If ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

It's back! Last year's March Madness: Democrats vs. Dictators tournament of champions ended with a dramatic knife fight on the edge of an active Icelandic volcano between Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin. The tournament will return next week, setting the stage for a potential rematch and giving readers the chance for FP glory.  

It’s back! Last year’s March Madness: Democrats vs. Dictators tournament of champions ended with a dramatic knife fight on the edge of an active Icelandic volcano between Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin. The tournament will return next week, setting the stage for a potential rematch and giving readers the chance for FP glory.  

If you didn’t follow it last year, the contest is a no-holds barred, bracket-style competition between the world’s most powerful leaders. You can pick your brackets in advance and we’ll announce the winners of each "game" over the course of the month based on entirely arbitrary and often nonsensical critera. This was obviously a rough year for the dictator division so we’ll have some new faces in the contest. The 10 readers with the top scores win a free one-year subscription to FP.

Things will be a bit more high-tech this year. Instead of requiring you to fill out a bracket by hand, we’ll have an interactive form that you can fill out online and share on Facebook. You will also be able follow your score and position on the leaderboard in realtime. 

After "selection Sunday" this weekend, we’ll be posting the first-round matchups and the form where you can fill out your brackets on Monday. Games will begin on Thursday and continue throughout March. 

Can Putin get his revenge? Will American decline and pre-election stress take their toll on defending champion Obama? Can newcomer Kim Jong Un make an impact?

Find out next week. 

Joshua Keating is a former associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.